


Picking up the Pieces

by kimurasato



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: Figure Skater AU, Hockey player AU, Ice skater au, M/M, figure skater Daniel LaRusso, hockey player Johnny Lawrence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29441298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimurasato/pseuds/kimurasato
Summary: Making it to the Olympics was a dream come true, and he could feel the gold medal within his reach. Johnny never thought a chance encounter could set his life down the path to an entirely different dream.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 74
Kudos: 104





	1. Chapter 1

Johnny scrolled through the messages on his phone, for the hundredth time, checking for where he was supposed to meet up with everyone. He glanced around, and he thought he was in the right spot. There was a bank of elevators behind him, and just down the hall, it opened up into a little lobby where some people were still eating breakfast, complimentary from the hotel, despite the late time. But he didn’t see anyone else from the team. Frowning, he sent a quick text, asking Bobby where the hell they were. Maybe this was their payback for him sleeping in late. The flight over had left him wiped out, and getting up in the morning was a challenge. He hated flying.

Johnny stuffed his phone back into his pocket, giving the area another glance until his gaze landed on someone sitting by the bank of windows lining the other side of the hall. His long legs were stretched out almost into a split as he bent forward, arms in front of him. He wore the red, white, and blue tracksuit of the USA team. Johnny wondered what event he was competing in, and though there were plenty of other people grouped up in the hall, this guy seemed to be on his own.

“Daniel-san!”

The guy’s head popped up, dark hair flopping down into his brown eyes. When he looked at the caller, he smiled, pulling out of his stretch to climb to his feet. Johnny swallowed at the sight of that smile. It was bright and genuine, and it lit up the hall. His eyes shone happily.

“Kumiko!” He hugged the woman who jogged up to him. She dressed in the tracksuit for team Japan, and her dark hair was drawn up into a messy ponytail. “It’s great to see you again!”

She laughed, slapping his arm. “See? I told you, you could make it.”

He smiled, dropping his gaze as he rubbed at his neck, his posture suddenly shy and awkward. “Yeah, well, it hasn’t been easy.”

Her smile fell as she gave him a concerned look. Her hand squeezed around his arm. “How’s that whole… thing going?”

“It’s-” His brown eyes darted around until they caught on Johnny, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off him.

Johnny didn’t even know why he was still staring, but it wasn’t like this dumb hall had anything else interesting to look at. People milled around together or, in some cases, hurried through the hall on their way to get somewhere. Johnny had nowhere to go until his teammates showed up. Or until Bobby texted him where he was actually supposed to meet them. But he flicked his gaze away so the guy wouldn’t think he was some weirdo. He folded his arms, hoping Bobby got back to him soon.

“Yo, LaRusso!”

Johnny turned toward the shout. Some stupid goon came down the hall, shoving people aside. He had his hair cropped short in a stupid buzz cut, but he had some muscle on him, easy to see with the tighter fit tracksuit he wore. He had murder in his eyes. Johnny snapped his gaze back to the pair. The girl - Kumiko looked panicked, tugging on his sleeve to pull him down the hall. The guy - What was the name they said? LaRusso? He stood firmly planted as his mouth thinned. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the man storming toward him.

“You know the rule, Barnes,” LaRusso growled, every muscle in his body going taut. Johnny almost expected LaRusso to launch himself at the other man. He bit back a smirk. LaRusso had seemed about as threatening as a puppy a moment ago. Now he had a fierce look about him, like he was ready to fight the entire world, even with his smaller stature and narrower build.

“Let’s just go,” Kumiko pleaded, tugging more insistently on his sleeve.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything.” Barnes stood in front of them, and LaRusso made sure to keep himself between Kumiko and Barnes. Johnny frowned at the scene. Barnes also wore the tracksuit for team USA. Why was he harassing one of his own team members? Barnes smirked, cruel and malicious. “Better hope you don’t choke.”

“I won’t.” LaRusso met him with a steely glare. “I’m going to beat you.”

“We’ll see.”

Kumiko finally managed to pull LaRusso along with her, but LaRusso didn’t take his glare away from Barnes. Barking out a loud laugh, Barnes turned and walked down the hall, going back the way he came.

Johnny frowned as he watched LaRusso and Kumiko. What was that whole scene about? He was missing something big about that interaction, and now he was curious to find out more. That ‘better hope you don’t choke’ comment felt like a threat. Did that guy - Crap! Johnny already forgot the name. Did he plan on doing something to LaRusso? Maybe he was just overthinking the situation. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that the guy meant to make sure LaRusso didn’t win. Johnny’s mouth thinned.

“There you are, Johnny!” Bobby came up, slapping him on the back. “Sorry! I got the spot wrong. Come on. We’re grabbing some lunch.”

Johnny glanced back one last time, but LaRusso and Kumiko were long gone. “Lunch sounds great.” He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder then followed Bobby down the hall. As they walked, Johnny pulled out his phone. Curiosity got the better of him, and he typed in the guy’s name.

Daniel LaRusso. He popped onto the figure skating competition scene two years ago, and apparently to everyone’s surprise, he made it onto the USA Olympic team. He had a lot of fans rooting for him. A regular underdog story. That asshole, though, was clearly not a fan. What the hell was his problem anyway? Johnny’s mouth pursed as he scanned through some of the articles talking about LaRusso’s skating routines from past competitions.

“What are you looking at?” Bobby glanced over at his phone.

“Nothing.” Johnny shoved his phone back into his pocket.

Bobby lifted an eyebrow. “Figure skating?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Johnny glowered, daring his friend to say something.

Bobby held up his hands. “Hey! Whoa! I wasn’t saying anything was wrong with it. I’m just surprised. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you’re usually interested in.”

Johnny shrugged. “We’re here. Might as well check out some of the other competitions when we have down time, right?”

“You wouldn’t rather check out some of the sites?”

“Bobby, don’t make this a thing. I was just curious, okay?”

“Okay.” Bobby opened the door for them. “And I promise I won’t bring it up to the guys.”

“Thank you.” Johnny sighed. Bobby catching him looking up a guy who figure skated was one thing. He was Johnny’s closest friend, and he never judged Johnny the way some others might. He was always there to help and support him, and Johnny greatly appreciated that. But if someone like Coach Kreese knew, Johnny was sure he would make his life hell. Figure skating was a sport for pansies. Johnny grimaced at his coach’s voice in his head. LaRusso didn’t look like a pansy when he was ready to throw down against that asshole. Johnny shoved down his smirk at that memory, in case Bobby caught it.

They met up with the rest of their team. Lunch was just loud noise with a bunch of hockey players shouting at each other while they ate. Johnny sat with his group of friends, glad they had all made it onto the team together. He couldn’t imagine being here if it was just him or if even one of them was left behind. He would put his money on Dutch being the one left behind, though. Dutch was one hell of an enforcer, but his aggression could become dangerous. Johnny couldn’t remember the last game they played where Dutch didn’t land in the penalty box at least once. But they were going to need an enforcer like Dutch against some of the teams they would be playing.

Johnny glanced over as Dutch slapped a woman’s ass when she passed by their table. She glared at Dutch, who smirked back like that was all it would take to get her to spend the night with him. Johnny kicked him under the table. He didn’t flinch when Dutch snapped around to pin a glare on him.

“Don’t even think about it, dude.” Johnny shook his head. “You know Coach frowns on that before games.”

Dutch snorted. “Whatever. Like he would ever know.” But he turned his focus onto the food in front of him rather than checking out the women in the restaurant.

After lunch and a little sightseeing, they headed for the ice rink for their allotted time to practice. Their games wouldn’t start until next week. Getting out onto the ice was one of the best feelings in his opinion, which probably sounded strange from someone born and raised in California. But when he was seven, he managed to get his mother to convince his stepdad to let him take skating lessons at a rink near their house. The next year, he got onto a hockey team, and he played ever since. It was how he met his friends. Hockey gave him a place where he felt like he actually belonged when the house he lived in felt like a prison.

“Hey, I think they have a pool at the hotel,” Tommy said when they were in the locker room to change. “We were thinking about checking it out when we get back.”

Johnny shrugged. “I might go over some of the tapes.”

“Ugh!” Dutch groaned. “You don’t need that shit. We can take out any team.”

“There’s no use.” Bobby nudged Johnny’s side. “This guy likes being prepared.”

“What a boy scout.” Dutch rolled his eyes with only a mild sneer.

When they were ready, they left the locker room. Johnny loved his friends, but the car ride back to the hotel was nothing but noise. Johnny rubbed at his temples, willing back the headache. He still felt a bit jet lagged, and he just wanted some more rest. They reached the hotel and piled into the elevator, heading up to their floor. They weren’t all in one room. Johnny shared a room with Bobby, which he thanked every star in the sky for. Bobby wouldn’t try to keep him awake all night. He dumped his bag at the foot of his bed and dropped face first onto the mattress.

“You sure you don’t want to hit the pool with us?” Bobby grabbed his things.

“I’m good.” Johnny lifted a hand to wave him off. He listened as Bobby walked to the door. It opened then closed a minute later, and he was left in blissful silence. Then he flipped onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. His mind wandered back to earlier that day. What was the deal with that asshole anyway? Why was there such hostility between LaRusso and the asshole? They were both on team USA.

Johnny sat up then jumped off the bed. Why was he thinking about this so hard? He opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the balcony. The cool fresh air felt good. Leaning on the railing, he pulled out his phone. The search on LaRusso remained open, and his gaze lingered on a picture accompanying an article. His smile stretched wide across his face, and at his side stood a shorter Japanese man. Johnny felt the corner of his mouth pulling upward as he stared at the picture. Then he brought up the information on the events schedule. The male figure skating started the day before his hockey games. Johnny stared at his phone. It seemed silly. He didn’t even know the guy, but he was curious to see how LaRusso skated.

The time went by in a blur between practices and being dragged out sightseeing with his friends. Yeah, they probably would never get another chance to visit these places, but his mind really wasn’t on seeing the sights. He tried to keep his focus on their upcoming games as much as possible. Each night, though, he found himself replaying that scene from the hotel hall. He smirked at the way LaRusso stood his ground against the asshole, and he wondered if LaRusso even knew how to fight. If he didn’t, he at least had the balls not to back down.

Getting away from his teammates on the first day of male first figure skating competition was a challenge. They wanted to spend the day out about the town one last time before they had to buckle down and get into game mode. Bobby must have realized what was up with him, though, and managed to make up a believable excuse so Johnny could slip away. He was going to need to think of a way to thank him later. The stands were surprisingly full, or maybe he just never thought about how popular figure skating was. He had a fairly good seat, but the first few skaters bored him. They had grace, sure, but they felt kind of robotic to him, going through well practiced routines like machines. Johnny was tempted to get up and take a walk, stretch his legs for a while.

Then he heard LaRusso’s name from the announcers. His eyes zeroed in on the figure gliding to the center of the rink. Johnny leaned forward as LaRusso got into position. He had a different look to him. Not that puppy innocence or that fight the world fierceness. It was something else that Johnny couldn’t put a name to. His dark floppy hair was slicked, and despite the distance between them, Johnny swore LaRusso was wearing some makeup, hints of golden color brushing lightly over his cheeks and eyelids. The look in his brown eyes was determined and focused.

The music started, and after a few beats, LaRusso moved, rotating out of his beginning stance to skate backwards. Johnny sucked in his breath. LaRusso’s movements were graceful but in a different way than the rest of the skaters. He moved around the rink like he was born to be on the ice. There was a life in the way he skated that the skaters before him lacked. It was captivating. Johnny couldn’t look away, and his breath caught with every jump and spin, every twist of his body as he glided through each element of his routine.

LaRusso stopped at the exact end beat of the music. Silence fell over the arena for several long seconds with LaRusso frozen in place. Then applause broke out through the audience. Johnny clapped along numbly, still mesmerized by the skating. LaRusso took his bows, his chest rising and falling with his heavy breaths. Then he skated to the edge of the rink and disappeared from Johnny’s sight.

Johnny didn’t know what he expected when he made the decision to come here. Figure skating never interested him before. But he didn’t expect to be absolutely stunned by the routine. He could see now why the search results spoke so highly of LaRusso. After that performance, he thought for sure LaRusso had to be in the running for the gold medal. Johnny shook himself as the next skater took the ice. He saw what he came here for, so he stood and made his way out of the stands.


	2. Chapter 2

Daniel stood in the hall outside the locker room with his bag hanging off his shoulder. He glanced about, checking again for any familiar faces in the crowd of people. Then he checked the time again. It was getting late, and he was getting hungry. A part of him regretted agreeing to go out tonight. He didn’t feel up to it, but his friends all wanted to go and insisted he join them. With a sigh, he watched the door again. It was another twenty minutes before the door opened and the three of them came out. They spotted him and rushed over, each one pulling him into a tight hug. Then they dragged him along the hall to the exit where a car would be waiting for them. They chatted the whole way, and Daniel nodded along, but he kept flicking his gaze about the hall. Thankfully, he didn’t spot Mike Barnes anywhere. That didn’t bring any relief to him. He did his best to avoid the other skater since they ran into each other at the hotel, but he knew eventually they would meet. He knew he had to watch his back.

“I can’t believe it’s almost finished,” Ali said once they had all climbed into the back of the car.

Jessica leaned forward to tell the driver where to take them. She apparently heard about this great little spot where they could eat and maybe do a bit of dancing. Daniel hoped the food was good, and that none of them asked him to dance.

“It went by so fast,” Kumiko agreed. “Your last skate is tomorrow, yes?” She stared at him, and Daniel nodded, a nervous knot twisting inside him.

“I wish I had one more skate.” Ali sighed. She fell during her short routine, and the loss of points had really hurt her chances at a medal.

“You skated really good though,” Daniel told her, reaching over to take her hand and squeeze it.

“Nothing compared to you though,” Ali argued.

And suddenly Daniel was the center of attention as the three of them started gushing over his last routine. He wanted to protest, but he knew it was useless. They were already dissecting every part of the routine. Daniel shrank into the backseat of the car, and he was glad to sit by the door so he could easily turn his attention out the window. Bright lights raced by as the car drove them through the streets to the restaurant or bar or wherever they were going.

His friends moved onto other topics, but Daniel hadn’t paid enough attention to know what they were talking about now. Then the car parked out front. Daniel’s tired eyes had trouble focusing on the bright neon sign over the door to read the name of the place. Coming out with them probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but he let them pull him out of the car and into the restaurant. They managed to snag a table, and Daniel unfortunately had no way to escape if he wanted to while squashed in the middle of them. When a waitress stopped at their table, his friends immediately called out their orders. Daniel dazedly glanced at the menu before just picking something at random, and hoping dimly it was something he liked.

They were talking again, sipping at their drinks, and Daniel realized the conversation had shifted away from him and, thankfully, onto the other male competitors, not limited only to figure skating. Daniel let his eyes wander around the restaurant. Apparently, they weren’t the only ones who heard about this place. He recognized a number of other competitors. Panic rushed through him, but as he scanned their faces, he didn’t see Barnes. He relaxed and sipped at his glass of water.

Their dinner arrived sometime later; he lost track of how long it took. The conversation around him kept moving from topic to topic, but he couldn’t keep up. It was too loud, with the conversation, the music, and everyone else talking like they were screaming. His head throbbed, and he wanted to slip away. He didn’t like how hot and stuffy this place was. He nibbled at his dinner. Halfway through eating, a song blared through the restaurant, and Kumiko’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s dance!” she suggested excitedly. Ali and Jessica easily accepted.

Daniel mumbled something, and it was enough to get him out of joining them among the dancing mass. He sighed in relief, but it was still much too loud there. Slipping out of the booth, he tossed a glance over to his friends. Kumiko and Jessica were dancing close to each other, but Ali seemed to have met a new friend, giggling as she danced with him. A small smile pulled across his face. Then he turned and made his way outside. The cool night air washed over him the moment he stepped through the door, and he breathed it in, feeling better. The noise cut off to a muffle when the door closed behind him. He moved to the side to avoid being in the way of people coming and going.

Everything went by so quickly. It felt like just yesterday he stepped out onto the ice for his first routine. Now he had his final skate tomorrow. He wished he could be celebrating the end of competition with the others, just so the anxiety wouldn’t be eating him up inside.

Ali had placed near the bottom after her fall. Jessica managed a respectable ninth place. Kumiko just missed the bronze medal. It came down to almost fractions of points between her fourth place score and the third place winner. It was a crushing loss, but Kumiko wasn’t letting it get her down. They had all skated their best.

Daniel brought out his phone and stuffed his wireless earbuds into his ears. He scrolled through his playlist until he found the song he was using for his routine tomorrow. His friends all thought he was a shoe in for the gold medal. His routines were good. He skated well. The crowd seemed to love him. But he knew it wasn’t that simple. There were still much better skaters in the competition, and if he didn’t nail this final skate perfectly, he would be done.

Daniel hit play, and the song filled his ears. He pictured himself on the ice, envisioned himself skating along to the song. He could see each jump and spin. Then foot caught and sent him crashing onto the ice. He grimaced, remembering when that happened for real. Restarting the song, he played out the routine from the beginning. After the first triple axel, he landed wrong on his left skate and went down. Another restart. Another fall. Daniel screwed his eyes shut, going over it again and again. Each time, he fell. He only managed to make it through the routine once without falling. It was a difficult routine, and maybe a better skater could manage it without a mistake. But he needed this routine. It was his only chance of getting the gold, but only if he could get it perfect. He shook his head. Another fall, this time crashing into the walls of the rink. He sank down into a crouch, pressing his phone against his forehead. The song played out to the end. Then silence.

He was going to fail. And it wasn’t just the gold medal he would lose when he failed. He thought of his coach Mr. Miyagi, and his impending failure hurt all the more.

“Get off me!”

The loud shout jerked him out of his misery. Daniel lifted his head as a group of four men shoved their way out of the restaurant. He blinked at the man with bleached blond hair, fighting off the other three in his attempt to get back inside.

“I’m going to kick that asshole’s ass!”

The other blond man, this one with natural sun kissed golden locks, shoved him away. Daniel remembered him from the hotel. It was only for a second, their eyes catching in the hall before Goldilocks turned away.

“Chill the fuck out, Dutch,” he shouted, flanked by other two men. “You’re not fighting that punk.”

Dutch huffed, pacing before the trio like he was seeking the weak point to strike and make his way back inside. His muscles were taut and ready for a fight. “That asshole wouldn’t be able to touch me.”

“You want to be benched? Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen if you fight someone.”

“What? You going to tell Coach Kreese on me?” Dutch got up into the other man’s face.

“Yeah, I will.” His blue eyes glared back, and he was completely unfazed by the aggression shown by Dutch.

“The whole thing was stupid-”

“Shut up, Jimmy!” Dutch snapped at him, and Jimmy shrank back.

“We should get back to the hotel anyway,” the third man said, then glanced back to the restaurant. “But we’ll need to get Tommy.”

Goldilocks sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “You two take Dutch back. I’ll wait for Tommy.”

“I don’t know.” The third man frowned. “He’s chatting up Ali. Depending how things go.” He shrugged.

“Bobby, are you trying to piss me off?” There was a laugh in his voice though.

Daniel stood up, his wide eyes shifting toward the door. Some guy was talking up Ali? Was it that guy he saw her dancing with before? He wanted to race inside and make sure she was okay, but he also didn’t want to draw the attention of those men. He swallowed, wondering if he could somehow sneak around them without being noticed.

“You did date her.”

Daniel’s gaze immediately snapped back to Goldilocks.

“That was years ago. And I gave him my blessing.” Goldilocks rolled his shoulder. “Now you three head back to the hotel. We need to rest up for that game.”

Dutch grumbled while Bobby and Jimmy ushered him to a waiting car down the street. Goldilocks watched them go. Then he turned with a sigh, his hands stuffed into his coat pockets. Daniel eyed the door just behind him before he dragged his gaze back to Goldilocks. Who was now staring at him. He froze, hand tight around his phone. At least this man wasn’t glaring murder at him the way Barnes always did.

“Take a picture. It’ll last longer.” His mouth curved up in a half smirk.

“I wasn’t-” Daniel choked on his words. He spun away, his face feeling too hot. Goldilocks probably thought he was some kind of spazzy weirdo.

“Hey.”

When the hand landed on his shoulder, Daniel jolted away from the touch.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Daniel flicked his gaze up. The eyes were even bluer up close. He shook his head. “No, sorry. I’m just on edge.” He stuffed his phone back into his pocket then reached up to pull the earbuds from his ears.

“So,” he stood with his hands in his pockets, his head tilting, “you know Ali.”

Daniel frowned as he met Goldilocks’ eyes. Then his hand curled around his earbuds, forming a tight fist. He turned to him fully, his shoulders set and a hard look in his eyes. “We never dated.” Every muscle in him tensed, prepared to fight depending on Goldilocks’ mood. Was this guy going to be pissed off about Daniel knowing his ex? Ali was cute and sweet, but they realized pretty quickly they wouldn’t make a good couple.

Goldilocks stared at him, too quietly, and Daniel didn’t know what to make of that expression on his face. Then he laughed, and Daniel swallowed. “That’s not what I was going to ask.” He shook his head. “And anyway, Ali and I broke up ages ago. It’s not my business who she dates.”

Daniel nodded but couldn’t relax. Why was this guy even talking to him? He couldn’t figure it out.

“How do you know Ali anyway?”

“Oh, um,” Daniel shrugged, tucking his earbuds into his pocket, “just from figure skating.” He bit the inside of his cheek, regretting the words once they left his mouth. Goldilocks looked like the big, muscular jock type, who probably didn’t think highly of something like figure skating. He waited for some shitty comment about how figure skating wasn’t a real sport or how men who did figure skating were pansies. He heard it all before, and he wasn’t in the mood to hear it again now.

“So, all those girls with you were figure skaters too?”

Daniel blinked at him then glanced toward the door. “Uh, yeah. They just finished up their competition, so they decided to drag me out to celebrate with them.”

Goldilocks nodded slowly, like he was thinking over Daniel’s response. “You don’t seem to be in a very celebratory mood.” He glanced around the street. “Guess that’s why you’re out here instead.”

“Yeah, well,” Daniel dropped his gaze, fiddling with the zipper of his coat, “I have my final routine tomorrow, and I’m not very confident about it.”

“Well, with that attitude, you won’t win.”

Daniel jerked his head up and stared at him, probably looking like an idiot. “What?”

“Don’t you know part of winning is the mental game?” He tapped at his temple. “If you’re not winning up here, you’re not winning on the ice.”

Daniel wished it was that easy. But how was he supposed to imagine himself winning when all he could see was every fall and mistake he made practicing the routine?

“You can’t sit there and tell me you haven’t run through this routine of yours at least a thousand times in your head.” Goldilocks frowned. Daniel could see it even without meeting the man’s gaze. “So, that’s the problem, huh? You’ve gone over it so many times, you’re psyching yourself out.” A sly smirk slipped onto his face, and Daniel swallowed hard. “Maybe you should sneak into the rink and just mess around. Goof off. Enjoy this last night and let your mind unwind from all the stress. I do that sometimes, before a game. Maybe it’ll help you relax.”

Daniel nodded. He loved skating. Ever since he was a little kid, he couldn’t wait to get out on the ice. But ever since he started competing, everything was about perfecting his routines. He couldn’t remember the last time he skated just for the fun of it. He kind of missed that freedom.

“Maybe,” Daniel mumbled in a small voice.

“Wait right here.”

Daniel snapped his head up then around as Goldilocks vanished into the restaurant. What was going on? He stood tensely on the sidewalk. After several long minutes, Goldilocks came back out, now with a second bag over his shoulder. Daniel’s eyes widened when he realized the second bag was his.

“How-”

“Ali.” Goldilocks grinned, grabbing his hand. “Come on.” He pulled Daniel along, flagging down a car. He held the door open. Daniel hesitated then climbed in with Goldilocks following after him. He passed over Daniel’s bag then leaned forward to tell the driver where to take them.

“What’s going on? Where are we going?” Daniel held on tightly to the strap of his bag. His throat went dry when Goldilocks smirked at him.

“The rink, of course!”

“The rink will be closed by now,” Daniel argued, frowning. “And there’ll be lots of security. They’ll never let us in.”

Goldilocks rolled his eyes. “I never said the official rink.” He smirked, and Daniel could only blink numbly.

After traveling the winding streets, the driver parked them outside a skating rink. An outdoor skating rink with the lights still on. Goldilocks got out of the car, telling the driver to check back in an hour or two as he passed over some money. Daniel followed him with some hesitation. Hardly anyone was at the skating rink, unsurprisingly with how late it was. Goldilocks chatted up the lady, who seemed like she was in the middle of preparing to close things down, and won her over with a charming smile. He waved Daniel over, and they were allowed entrance into the rink.

“She’s giving us an hour,” Goldilocks explained as he tied up his skates. “I might be able to convince her to make it two.”

Daniel shook his head, making sure his skates were tied tight but not too tightly. “I shouldn’t even be doing this. I should be resting for tomorrow.”

“You’ll be fine. Come on.” He got up and walked over to the gap in the rink’s wall. “We’re just going to have some fun.” He stepped out onto the ice and glided away.

Right. Fun. Daniel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then he shook his head as he pushed himself to his feet. Once he was on the ice, he glanced around, turning in a slow circle to take in his surroundings.

“I thought we were skating.” Goldilocks came up to him, turning his hips so his blades scraped over the ice to send a spray of white powder at Daniel as he came to a stop.

Daniel jolted back to reality. “Hey!” he protested with a frown as Goldilocks chuckled.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Just thinking.” Daniel glanced around again. “This place kind of reminds of the place my dad used to take me to. Uh, but a lot less rundown.” A fond smile tugged at his mouth when he thought of those memories. “So, skating.” He grinned then pushed off, gliding across the ice like it was all he had ever known. A laugh bubbled out of him when he heard Goldilocks chasing after him. Maybe he did need a little fun to help him relax.


	3. Chapter 3

“Sneaking out again?”

Johnny tensed at the question as he shrugged on his coat. He thought he managed to get up and dressed quietly enough not to wake up his teammate. “Maybe I’m just going for a jog. We have a game later today.”

“Right. I’ll be sure to cover for you,” Bobby said, his sheets rustling as he sat up in his bed. “Just like I covered for you coming in late last night.”

Johnny rubbed at his eyes. He could hear the silent question, but he wasn’t about to spill what happened last night. It was hard enough to wipe off the grin on his face when he came back to the hotel room and found Bobby still awake. And how could he not be happy? LaRusso was an amazing skater, but last night, Johnny got to watch him skate freely with that beaming smile on his face that seemed like it could light up the world. He wished they got more time, but the lady working at the rink kicked them out after an hour and a half.

“I can’t believe you just left Tommy there.” Bobby shook his head.

“Tommy was fine.” Johnny rolled his eyes. “And we both know Ali would punch him if he tried anything.” He absently rubbed at his jaw. Ali had a mean right hook.

Bobby laughed. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. So, are you going to tell me what exactly all of this is about? You’re not usually this secretive. With me, at least.”

“It’s nothing really.” Johnny checked his bag, to make sure he had all his gear packed up. “I’m just enjoying myself. Don’t you always say I never do anything fun? Outside of hockey.”

“And the rest of us can’t be in on this fun? Whatever it is.”

Johnny sighed as he looked over to his friend. “I’ll tell you about it later, okay? I have to get going.” He stood and slung his bag over his shoulder.

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“I know.” Johnny smiled. “See you later.” He slipped out of the hotel room as Bobby grumpily buried himself under the covers again.

When he got to the large skating arena built for the Olympics, Johnny headed for the locker room for the USA team. He stuffed his bag into one of the lockers and clicked his lock into place. Then he headed over to the rink where the men’s figure skating was being held. He was a bit early, but he didn’t know what order they would be skating in. He hoped LaRusso was among the first skaters, since he couldn’t afford staying for too long when he had a game. If he was late, Coach Kreese would give him hell.

“Johnny!”

He spun around when he heard his name and stood still as he watched Ali Mills, his ex-girlfriend run up to him. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, with a wide smile.

“It was good to see you last night.” Ali pulled back with her hands still on his arms. “And since I just saw Daniel, I guess that means you didn’t kill him last night.”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Why would I do that?”

“Well, what exactly was I supposed to think when you came running in and asked if Daniel had a bag or something he left behind in the restaurant? And then you just whisked him away.” Ali smacked him on the arm. “We didn’t even get the chance to say goodnight to him.” Then she eyed him, her mouth drawing thin. “So, what exactly did you do with him last night? He seemed to be in a good mood when I went to wish him good luck.”

Johnny shrugged. “Just took him skating. He looked like he was stressing himself out, and I know I always feel better when I get out on the ice and just skate.”

Ali gave him a hard look. “Why would you care? You never cared about figure skating when we were dating?”

“Yeah, well, we can both agree I was an asshole when we were dating.”

“Wow.” Ali’s eyes widened. “I never imagined I would see the day Johnny Lawrence admitted to being an asshole.”

“Yeah, ha, ha.” Johnny resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, but he was glad they could have a conversation now without it turning into a shouting match. “Uh, sorry I didn’t come to see you skate. I didn’t realize you were here. But I bet you were amazing.”

Ali shook her head. “I fell, and that pretty much sank any chance of getting a medal.”

“Sorry.” Johnny frowned. He wasn’t the best boyfriend to Ali and spent too much of their time together focused on his hockey career. He never went to any of Ali’s skating competitions. He felt guilty about that now.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Ali smiled gently, rubbing his arm. “I’ll just train harder for next time. So,” she glanced around the hall, “did you come to watch Daniel skate?”

“What? No!” Johnny felt heat creeping into his face.

Ali gave him that look saying she didn’t buy his lie. “Oh, no, of course not. What was I thinking? You just take him out skating to help him relax, and I’m supposed to believe you’re not interested in seeing him skate?” She smirked with a twinkle in her eyes.

“If you knew the answer already, why bother asking?” Johnny grumbled, hunching his shoulders.

“We should sit together then.” Ali hooked her arm around his then dragged him toward the entrance into the rink.

“Ali, I don’t think-”

“And I can introduce you to Jessica and Kumiko,” Ali said, completely ignoring his protests.

Johnny sighed, giving up. There was no use fighting Ali sometimes, and he really didn’t want to make a scene. He remembered seeing Kumiko from the first time he spotted LaRusso. Jessica must be the other woman he saw with them at the restaurant.

“So, how do you all know this LaRusso guy anyway?”

“Oh,” Ali glanced at him as she dragged him along to where he guessed the other two were sitting, “we did some training together. I mean, not all of us together at the same time. He and I were going to do pairs skating. And before you ask, no, nothing ever happened between us. He’s cute but just not my type.”

“But Tommy is?” Johnny smirked when he noticed the rosy color on her cheeks.

“You’re not,” she flicked a cautious glance at him, “angry?”

“You could do a lot worse than Tommy.” Johnny shrugged. Then he sighed. “Look. If this was right after we broke up, yeah, I’d be pissed. But that was such a long time ago. I want you to be happy. And I know Tommy would treat you right.” He smiled at the happy look on Ali’s face. “So, pairs? It didn’t work out?”

Ali shook her head. “Daniel’s a terrific skater, but we just never could seem to get the right flow with each other. He was always falling all over himself when we skated together.”

Johnny tried to imagine that, but he had yet to see LaRusso falter. “What about the others?”

“Same coaches, and he would come to watch all of us at competitions. When he could. That’s how we all ended up meeting each other.” Ali smiled and waved to the other two as they approached them. “This is Johnny.”

Johnny shook their hands. Kumiko had her dark hair pulled back in a loose braid. Jessica had fiery red hair, but she seemed maybe a year or two younger than them. Their introductions ended there as the announcer’s voice crackled over the sound system. Johnny sat down next to Ali, taking one end of their little four person group. He was glad for that when they started chatting amongst themselves in excited voices. Relaxing back into his seat, he waited through the skaters who were up before LaRusso. They bored him, but Ali and her friends kept discussing the routines and the skill of each skater.

Then LaRusso’s name was finally announced, and Johnny leaned forward in his seat, eyes focusing on the spot where he would step out onto the ice. After a few minutes passed, a frown settled onto Johnny’s face. The announcer started to say his name again when LaRusso finally appeared. He stepped out and glided to the center of the rink. Johnny’s frown deepened. Thanks to Ali, he was sitting right in the first row, giving him a much clearer view of the man. Deep concentration set on LaRusso’s face, but there was something else in his eyes. Sweat already prickled at his brow. He breathed, but it almost seemed forced, like he was trying too hard to keep his breathing steady.

As LaRusso approached the center, Johnny realized he was favoring one leg over the other. He sat up straighter, almost rising to his feet as his eyes widened. Ali flicked her gaze toward him, but Johnny was too focused on LaRusso. What the fuck was he thinking? He shouldn’t be on the ice. LaRusso took his starting position. Johnny ground his teeth, finally putting a name to what he noticed on LaRusso’s eyes: Pain.

The music began. Johnny was on edge, ready to spring at any second. LaRusso skated, moving to the music with grace and elegance that only he seemed to manage. But it was off. He favored his right leg. Then came his first jump. He spun in the air then landed. His left blade hit the ice. Then his whole body hit the ice. He slid, curling around his left leg, and didn’t move. After the initial gasp from the audience, everything went silent, the music cutting out. No one moved. The blood thundered in Johnny’s ear, and his mouth moved, silently pleading for LaRusso to get up. LaRusso didn’t move or make a sound. A medical team finally rushed onto the ice.

Johnny jumped to his feet and rushed out of the rink. If Ali called out to him, he didn’t hear it. He knew where they would take LaRusso. There were medical exam rooms by the locker rooms where they would take the injured. The doctor would decide the severity of the injury and whether or not it warranted being taken to the hospital. Johnny prayed whatever it was it didn’t require needing to go to the hospital. His heart clenched painfully at that thought.

Johnny rounded the corner, spotting the two men carrying LaRusso on a stretcher into the exam room. A shorter Asian man followed after them, and Johnny guessed he was probably LaRusso’s coach. Johnny hurried over to the door as it closed behind them. He couldn’t go in, he knew that, though he desperately wanted to barge through the door and find out how badly LaRusso was hurt. Standing at the door, he pressed his ear to it, straining to hear what was being said inside, but all he heard was murmurs too soft to be deciphered.

It felt like forever before the door opened. Johnny quickly pulled away, pressing his back flat against the wall next to the door. The two men who carried the stretcher stepped out and walked down the hall without paying any attention to him. Johnny quickly shoved his foot in the way, keeping the door from fully closing.

“He’ll have to go to the hospital,” the doctor was explaining, and Johnny heard a painful sob. “His knee might need surgery.”

“I’m so,” LaRusso sobbed, “sorry!”

“Daniel-san, it’s okay. Not your fault.” That must be his coach.

“But I should have-” Another sob. “It happened so quick-” A hiccup. “But then my name - I had to get out there.” LaRusso cried. “If I could just get through it. I thought I could. And then- I’m so sorry!” He broke down then as his coach tried to calm him in hushed tones.

Johnny withdrew his foot, easing the door shut quietly. His heart ached listening to those sobs. His fists clenched tightly, and he felt the need to punch something. How could something like this happen? LaRusso was fine last night. Dread settled over him, and Johnny stared at the floor with widening eyes. Was this his fault? Did he push LaRusso too much last night? But LaRusso never fell and never showed signs of being hurt. Did Johnny miss something? Was LaRusso already hurt and Johnny failed to notice while he laughed as he skated? That didn’t seem likely, but Johnny struggled to find some explanation for what happened.

When he heard the door opening again, Johnny turned and headed down the hall. He didn’t want to hear anymore of LaRusso’s broken sobs. He was sure he would hear those sobs in his dreams, watching the moment LaRusso hit the ice over and over again. At the end of the hall, he stopped. Ali, Jessica, and Kumiko stood before him; worry written on their faces.

“I-” Johnny swallowed and tried again, hoping the tremor in his voice wouldn’t be there. “The doctor - I heard-” He shook his head, wishing he hadn’t heard any of it at all. “Surgery.”

They gasped. Then Jessica and Kumiko were racing down the hall. Ali touched his arm, tears in her eyes.

“Did you see - Is it really that bad?”

Johnny shook his head. “I couldn’t see anything. I only heard some of it.”

“It - It’ll be okay.” The tears slid down her cheeks. “It has to be. He’ll recover, and - and he’ll be skating again in no time.”

Johnny tugged her into a hug, and she sobbed into his shoulder. “Yeah, he’ll be okay.” He squeezed his arms around her, hoping that was true. His phone buzzed at his hip. He sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled it out, checking the messages popping up on the screen. “Shit,” he muttered. “I gotta - It’s Bobby.” He pulled away from Ali. “Our game is starting soon.”

“Right.” Ali wiped at her eyes. “You’re game.” The way she said it made Johnny flinch with guilt. Then she shook her head. “I know how important hockey is to you, Johnny. I’ll keep you posted on what I find out about Daniel. Just concentrate on your game.”

Johnny nodded, but the guilt lingered. “Thanks, Ali.” He turned to walk away.

“Oh, and Johnny,” Ali smiled when he looked back, “you better win it.”

“You know I will.” Johnny smiled confidently.

Then he hurried off to the USA hockey team’s locker room. Coach Kreese was going to be pissed if Johnny was a second late. Checking the time, he knew he would be cutting it close. Bobby was definitely getting some kind of big thank you gift after all of this. Johnny darted into the locker room, finding the rest of the team already dressed and ready to hit the ice.

“Cutting it rather close, don’t you think?” Bobby whispered as Johnny yanked the combination lock from the locker and grabbed his stuff.

“Sorry. I’ll make it up to you.” Johnny tossed a glance around the locker room as he started changing. He didn’t see their coach anywhere. Dutch scowled at him. Tommy looked like his mind was somewhere else, maybe thinking about Ali. And Jimmy frowned at him in confusion.

“Finally decided to deem us with your presence, Mr. Lawrence.”

Johnny stiffened then looked over to the door where Coach Kreese stood, glowering at him. “Sorry, Coach. Won’t happen again, Coach.”

“Make sure it doesn’t.”

The threat in his voice chilled the blood in Johnny’s veins. He knew exactly what happened when anyone on the team disappointed him. He finished changing in a hurry. Then the whole team gathered around to listen to Coach Kreese’s pre-game pep talk. It wasn’t very peppy, and Johnny’s mind kept straying back to earlier events. He couldn’t forget the dead silence after LaRusso hit the ice or his broken sobs.

Johnny came back to himself when the team jostled him, pushing their way out of the locker room to head to the ice. Once his skates hit the ice, he set his mind on their pre-game warmup. He could do nothing else at the moment. Ali would text him with any news. Right now, the game was the only thing he had any control over.

After warmups and anthems and all the other stuff, the teams got into their starting lineups. The ref dropped the puck. The second it hit the ice, everyone moved. The game started, and Johnny pushed out everything in his mind other than getting that puck into their opponent’s goal. The other team wasn’t going to make this an easy win. Johnny already knew that from watching over the tapes of their previous games. They were aggressive, slamming his teammates into the boards and wrestling for control of the puck. Dutch certainly didn’t like that and pushed back even harder with a vicious grin on his face. Johnny hated that look, but he was glad to have Dutch on their team right now.

His body already felt like one giant bruise by the time they reached the third period. The score was two to two. Johnny caught up to the loose puck, charging down the ice with it while keeping an eye out for the best play. Jimmy was open, but he didn’t have a clear shot. If he got the puck, their opponents would be on him in seconds. Dutch slammed one of the opponents into the boards, clearing him out of Johnny’s path. Then Johnny spotted Bobby. Perfect. A grin slipped onto his face. Bobby would get them the point. Johnny sent the puck to him, hard and fast and right where it needed to be.

Then Johnny looked forward and noticed the charging opponent too late. The other player slammed into him, knocking him backward. Johnny tried to keep his balance, but he tipped over the back of another opponent. The buzzer sounded, and cheers rocked the stands.

Johnny’s head hit the ice.

Everything went dark.


	4. Chapter 4

“How are you feeling?” Jessica worried her lower lip as she looked him over.

“It’s fine.” Daniel tried not to sigh in frustration. He appreciated his friends coming to visit, but it was honestly growing a little annoying to be asked how he was feeling all the time. What were they expecting him to say? That he was pissed? That he wanted to punch the asshole? He doubted they wanted to hear that. “I think the doctor said I should be able to leave soon.” He smiled, but getting released from the hospital only meant a long trip back home. He didn’t even want to stay to see any of the award ceremonies.

“Did they say anything about,” Ali flicked her gaze to the brace on Daniel’s knee, “if you’ll skate again?”

Daniel shrugged. “I should probably take time off. You know, let it rest and heal.” He watched his friends nod, all with sad faces. He couldn’t take it. “But hey, you still have some time left here. You should really go out and see everything you can.” He threw on his winning smile. “You don’t want to leave and regret not experiencing everything this place has to offer. Don’t let me hold you back. I’m fine. Really. Don’t worry about me. Go have fun!”

“If,” Kumiko exchanged glances with Ali and Jessica, “you’re sure.”

Daniel bobbed his head. “Yup. I’m sure. Go, go!” He laughed as he shooed them off.

They waved to him as they left the room. Once they were gone, he sighed and flopped back against the hospital bed. He hated it here. The television on the wall opposite his bed seemed to only carry stations talking about the Olympic events, and he didn’t want to hear about any of it. But that left him sitting alone in silence with only the people passing by his room to listen to. He closed his eyes as footsteps and soft murmurs came and went. Then he heard footsteps stop at his door. Sighing inwardly, he wondered who would be visiting him now. He wasn’t up for any more visitors. Opening his eyes, he turned to the doorway and froze.

The man, one of the most renown figure skating coaches Terry Silver, strode into the room, his smile anything but kind. His dark hair was slicked back into a low ponytail. Silver’s eyes focused on his left knee, and his smile turned crueler and his eyes danced with glee.

Daniel’s hands balled into fists around the blanket as his jaw clenched. “Get out,” he ordered in a voice that shook.

“Now, is that anyway to talk to a guest who’s come to visit you?” His hand dropped onto Daniel’s shoulder, the grip tight enough to draw a hiss out from him.

“You’re hardly a guest.” Daniel glared up at him with defiance in his eyes. “I don’t want you here. Get out.”

Silver leaned down, bringing his face right next to Daniel’s. “I only wanted to stop by and make sure you remember the deal we made.”

Fury burned through him. Daniel wanted to punch that smirk right off his face. “Like I could forget,” he spat out bitterly.

“Good.” The response seemed to please Silver. “It truly is a shame.” He rested his hand over his left knee, and Daniel stiffened at the touch. “But I had to be sure that my boy would medal. And you really are far too stubborn.” His hand squeezed, applying just enough pressure to force a gasp out of Daniel. His mouth curled upward, watching the twist of pain on Daniel’s face. “And now mine and Mike Barnes’ names will be talked about for years to come. You and your stupid coach will be forgotten in a matter of months.”

“Get out!” Daniel shouted, holding Silver’s gaze with a searing glare. That reaction earned a harder squeeze around his knee, and Daniel choked on a gasp as the pain shot up his leg. He scrambled to claw the hand away.

“Enjoy the rest of your life.” Silver straightened, removing his hands from Daniel’s body. With one last smirk, he turned and walked out of the room.

Daniel bit down hard on his lower lip, struggling to hold back the whimper as tears pricked hotly at his eyes. He threw himself back against the bed, screwing his eyes shut as his knee throbbed. His chest ached painfully. All he could remember wanting to do since he was little was skating, and now that dream was gone. His shoulders shook as the tears finally spilled over, sliding down his cheeks. The chances of him placing for a medal were already slim. Silver didn’t need to hire people to attack him in the locker room. They managed to catch him alone, or maybe they scared everyone else off. Then one of them held him down while the other bashed his knee. The pain was almost too much to bear his weight, but he was too stubborn to allow it to stop him from stepping onto the ice. He should have known it was pointless. He couldn’t complete his routine with a busted knee. But then he heard his name announced, and he forced himself to get out there.

At some point, he managed to drift off to sleep despite the pain. It was early evening when he woke again. His coach Mr. Miyagi sat by his bed. Daniel smiled when he saw him, but it was a sad smile. A miserable weight settled in his gut.

“How are you feeling, Daniel-san?”

His gaze flicked to his knee before Daniel looked back to Mr. Miyagi. “Mostly just tired.” The throbbing in his knee faded while he slept. “Am I getting out of here soon?”

Mr. Miyagi nodded. “Just have to sign the papers to get you released.”

A nurse came in, listing out instructions to them and handing papers to Mr. Miyagi. Daniel tried to follow along, but he honestly just wanted to get out of the hospital. Silver stopping by left him shaken, and the place no longer felt safe. At least, at the hotel, Silver wouldn’t be able to appear at random in his room. He doubted Silver had reason to visit him again, after that last painful reminder, but he didn’t want to risk it.

Finally, he was allowed to leave. The nurse and Mr. Miyagi helped him into some clothes that Mr. Miyagi brought for him. Then Daniel got out of bed, using the crutches the nurse gave him. He swayed, almost falling back onto the bed before getting his balance. After he could stand without the risk of falling, he followed Mr. Miyagi out of the room with the nurse trailing after him, just in case. He glanced around the hall, thankful to finally be leaving this place.

His mind drifted back to last night. It still kind of felt like some crazy dream, being dragged off to some random ice rink after closing time. Skating freely like that was so much fun. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed so much while skating. That was maybe his best memory of this whole Olympics experience. He wondered, briefly, what Goldilocks was doing right now.

A nudge at his back reminded him he was supposed to be leaving. Daniel sighed as he turned down the hall to follow after Mr. Miyagi. Maybe it was all a dream. Something his stressed out mind made up to make him relax, if only for a little while. He doubted he would ever see Goldilocks again, especially if they were leaving right away now that he was free from the hospital. Mr. Miyagi took care of all the paperwork then helped Daniel out to the car waiting to take them back to the hotel.

“If Daniel-san wants, I can have them arrange for us to catch the earliest flight back,” Mr. Miyagi said once they were in the car.

Daniel nodded. “Yeah,” he mumbled, “that’s probably for the best.”

When they reached the hotel, Daniel hoped to make a quick escape to their room. Plenty of people milled around in the lobby area of the hotel, making arrangements to go out for the evening or coming back for an early night. He didn’t want to see any of them. He could already feel the stares on him as he crutched his way toward the elevators. His mouth thinned as he focused on making sure he didn’t topple over like an idiot.

“Daniel-san!”

His head popped up to see Kumiko and Jessica making their way over to him. Daniel forced a smile onto his face.

“Oh, hey. I thought you’d be out enjoying the sights or something.”

Jessica shook her head. “I think I’ve had enough sightseeing for now.” She smiled softly. “It’s good to see you’re out already. I guess that means the injury isn’t too bad.”

Daniel bobbed his head. “I’ll have to go back to get it checked out, but a couple weeks of resting, some physical therapy, and I should be as good as new.” He blinked then flicked his gaze between the two of them. His brow creased. “Where’s Ali?”

“She mentioned something about staying at the hospital,” Kumiko said with a frown. “She seemed pretty upset. I think another friend of hers got hurt.”

Daniel grimaced. “I hope nothing too serious.”

“Daniel-san.” Mr. Miyagi cleared his throat from behind him.

“Oh, uh, right. I should probably get back to my room. Gotta get this leg up and rest it.”

“See you around.” Jessica gave him a quick hug.

“Let us know when you’re leaving.” Kumiko hugged him too.

After their goodnights, Daniel and Mr. Miyagi entered one of the elevators. His grip on his crutches tightened, and he chewed on his lip, casting glances to his coach. He lowered his gaze as the elevator rose up the floors of the hotel.

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Miyagi,” Daniel murmured quietly.

“Daniel-san,” Mr. Miyagi said in a rare firm tone, his gaze sharp when he turned it onto Daniel, “what’s important is that your knee isn’t badly damaged.”

“But-”

“Daniel-san!” The sharp bark made Daniel jump. Then Mr. Miyagi’s gaze softened. “Medals aren’t important.” He tapped a finger against Daniel’s chest, right over his heart. “This is important. Your knee will heal, and I’m thankful for that.”

Daniel bobbed his head, swallowing down any further arguments. He knew the damage could be worse. He was lucky he wouldn’t be walking with a limp for the rest of his life. But the guilt still felt like a solid weight inside him.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. They left the elevator, and Daniel followed Mr. Miyagi down the hall to his room. Daniel headed straight for his bed once he entered the room. He eased himself down onto the bed, and Mr. Miyagi took his crutches from him. With some pillows wedged under his leg, Daniel laid back and stared up at the ceiling.

“I’ll order some room service,” Mr. Miyagi announced, walking over to where the phone sat. “And I managed to get us tickets for a flight tomorrow morning.”

Daniel nodded, not sure if Mr. Miyagi even saw the movement, but he didn’t feel much like talking anymore. Letting out a breath, he closed his eyes. His career was over. Once he made it back home, he would have to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. He didn’t even know what he could do. Skating was all he thought about. Now, he just felt lost.

But with all the time he would have on hand with his recovery, he could be able to think of something to do with his life. Probably.

Daniel didn’t eat much of the dinner, even though Mr. Miyagi ordered him a light meal. He wasn’t feeling very hungry after the surgery on his knee. They sat up, watching a bit of television, thankfully not more coverage on the Olympics, but he quickly drifted off to sleep. He slept most of the way through the night until a nightmare woke him. In it, Silver was the one holding him down in the locker room, his creepy grin looming over him as he crushed Daniel’s knee. Daniel jerked awake with a strangled shout, his knee aching like Silver was there squeezing his hand on his knee again.

Mr. Miyagi was at his side with a glass of water and the medication the doctor prescribed. Daniel sighed as he swallowed the pills with a gulp of water. Mr. Miyagi squeezed his arm. Then he helped Daniel up so he could use the bathroom. It was awkward, but he managed to get things done without needing assistance. Getting dressed, however, was another matter. Changing into a clean shirt was simple enough, but he needed Mr. Miyagi’s help with his pants, glad for the loose sweatpants.

The sun was already up by that time. Mr. Miyagi requested breakfast brought to their room. He got everything packed up while Daniel was forced to stay lying in bed. Daniel hated it. He wanted to be up and doing stuff like normal. Being forced to stay in bed with nothing to do was frustrating.

Breakfast arrived when Mr. Miyagi was almost finished with the packing. They ate, though Daniel mostly just poked at his food. The eggs were all right, but the sausage made his stomach turn after a few bites. Mr. Miyagi finished eating long before Daniel gave up on his breakfast. He went right back to packing and was zipping up the last of the luggage when Daniel set his plate aside on the nightstand.

“A car will be waiting for us,” Mr. Miyagi said, holding out the team jacket to him.

Daniel frowned at it and half wished he brought a different coat with him. The reminder of his failed Olympic career left a bitter taste in his mouth. Maybe once he got home, he would throw it in the trash and forget all about it. He shrugged into the jacket then got up from the bed, this time wanting to do it on his own. They left the room, Mr. Miyagi carrying all their luggage, which made Daniel glad he packed fairly light.

After they got off the elevator, Daniel hung out in the lobby while Mr. Miyagi took care of the check out. It was early enough that the lobby was fairly quiet. Daniel shifted and adjusted his hold on the crutches.

“Daniel!”

He looked over as Ali waved, jogging up to him. “Oh, hey.” Daniel smiled. “How’s it going?”

Ali frowned. “Are you leaving already?”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah. Not much point in sticking around. You know?” He shrugged. “Uh, I heard you had another friend in the hospital. I hope they’re okay.”

Ali dropped her gaze. “Yeah, they think he’ll be okay. Things look- Well, they said his head scans don’t show any permanent damage.” She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “I can’t believe it. First you get hurt. Then he does. It’s like there was some kind of curse on this Olympics.”

“You know I’m a total klutz.” Daniel laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. “But I’m sorry about your friend.”

Ali’s mouth pulled up in a sad smile. Then she carefully hugged him. “Take care, okay?”

“Yeah,” Daniel leaned slightly into the hug, “I will. You too, yeah?”

Ali nodded as she stepped back. “I’m going to keep training. Next time, I’m going to get a medal.”

Daniel grinned. “I don’t doubt it. I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Daniel-san,” Mr. Miyagi said, coming up behind Ali.

“And I guess we’re off.” After their goodbyes, Daniel followed Mr. Miyagi out to the waiting car. _This is it_ , he thought as he settled into the back seat of the car, staring up at the hotel. The dream he worked so hard to achieve was over. Mr. Miyagi sat beside him and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly as the driver pulled away from the hotel to take them to the airport.


	5. Chapter 5

Johnny hitched the strap of his bag on his shoulder as he walked, his head down as he scrolled through the messages on his phone. Bobby sent him a picture, the guys out at some restaurant they went to over the weekend. A small smile pulled at Johnny’s mouth, but it was hard to feel happy when he should be there too. He shoved his phone into his pocket and kept walking across the quad.

They promised they would all keep in touch, but Johnny found it harder to respond to his friends as the time went by. He sighed. Two years felt like an eternity. Back then, his future seemed so bright. The USA hockey team was a top runner to win the gold medal at the Olympics. Fame and sponsors would be rolling in. They did win gold. Johnny still had his medal, tucked away in some box shoved in a closet of his room. It didn’t feel like some great achievement to him when it reminded him of what he lost.

He remembered waking up in the hospital after slamming his head against the ice and blacking out. He, apparently, was out for four days. When the doctor met with him, she advised him against playing hockey again. He was lucky to not suffer any kind of major brain damage or injury to his neck and spine, though he still needed to wear a neck brace for a while. Nothing lasting that would affect his everyday life. But another hit like that, and he might not be so lucky. The news didn’t sit well with Coach Kreese. When he learned about it, he screamed at Johnny, blaming him for the injury. He shouted at him that he hadn’t trained hard enough, hadn’t focused enough during the game. The yelling only stopped when Bobby and Dutch dragged him out of the room. They didn’t care if Coach Kreese punished them later. Neither would sit there and allow someone to talk to Johnny like that.

Tommy told him Bobby made the winning goal thanks to Johnny’s pass. Without him, they wouldn’t have won. Johnny knew Bobby would come through, but his heart felt too heavy to be happy. No more hockey? What was he supposed to do with his life now?

It surprised him when Ali showed up to his room. She cried, and Johnny did his best to comfort her, telling her he would be all right. He didn’t feel all right. Not back then, and certainly not now. He was attending college, keeping up good grades in his course, but it felt like he was just going through the motions. He didn’t make new friends at college. He didn’t go out partying or to other social events. He didn’t even know what he would do after he graduated college. Hockey was his life, and without it, he was lost.

Johnny yanked open the door and walked into the building with his next class. The hall was crowded with students milling around, in no hurry to go anywhere. He pushed his way through the crowd, looking for the right room number. He nearly ran into a pair of women walking out of the classroom.

“How pathetic,” the blonde said with a cackle.

Her friend joined in laughing. “I can’t believe he used to be popular. Talk about a let down!”

“I guess it’s true what they said. He’s just a hack who couldn’t make it.”

They continued on their way without even giving him a look. Johnny shook his head as he entered the room. They sounded like mean girls, and Johnny wanted nothing to do with them. It made him glad he avoided parties. A lot of the seats were open, unsurprising since barely any students had arrived to the class so far. He made his way to the back of the room, sliding into a seat near the window. He was a little frustrated to see that the seat next to the window was already occupied, the culprit a dark haired man with his head resting on his folded arms and his head turned toward the window. Frowning, he thought there was something familiar about this man. The minutes ticked by, drawing closer to the start of class.

The man jerked upright in his seat. “What?” he snapped, twisting around to pin a glare on Johnny. They both stared at each other in a stunned silence with neither knowing what to say. His tongue darted out, swiping quickly over his lips. Then he swallowed. “Goldilocks?”

Johnny blinked, and a laugh bubbled out of him a moment later. “Goldilocks?” he repeated, almost gasping. “Is that what you’ve been calling me, LaRusso?”

A flush crept over his tanned cheeks, and LaRusso ducked his head. “You never told me your name.” He huffed, hunching over his desk.

Johnny leaned over the gap between their desks, balancing himself by resting a forearm on LaRusso’s desk. “It’s Johnny Lawrence.” He grinned when those dark eyes darted back to him.

LaRusso bit the corner of his lip, absently picking at the skin around his thumbnail. “You know, you could just call me Daniel. Instead of LaRusso.”

Johnny rolled a shoulder. After two years of calling him LaRusso in his head, it was hard to break the habit. “So, how’s your knee?”

A look passed through those big brown eyes as LaRusso shrank in on himself. Then in one smooth movement, he was up out of his seat, his bag thrown over a shoulder. Johnny’s brain caught up too late to register what happened, and LaRusso was already out of the door by the time Johnny sat up straight in shock.

The professor walked into the room, instructing everyone to take their seats. Johnny snatched up his bag, hurrying out of the room without hearing anything she was saying. LaRusso was already at the exit of the building when Johnny finally spotted him. Racing after him, Johnny managed to catch up to him in the middle of the quad. He grabbed LaRusso by the arm, forcing him to stop, but LaRusso refused to turn and look at him.

“Hey,” Johnny said, only mildly panting after the jog, “if I said something wrong, I’m sorry. I just-” He sighed and hung his head. “I was there. I came to see you perform when you - I was so worried about you.”

LaRusso turned around slowly, but his eyes still wouldn’t meet with Johnny. “Worried?” He bit out with a humorless laugh. “I didn’t see you come visit me in the hospital afterward.”

“I-” Johnny closed his mouth. LaRusso’s body was tense, pain filling his eyes. Johnny was missing something, but he didn’t know what. His chest hurt, regardless. “When I woke up, you were already gone.”

LaRusso’s brow creased. Then his eyes slowly lifted to Johnny. “Woke up?”

Johnny nodded. “I asked Ali when she came to visit me, but she said you left pretty much right after you got released from the hospital. I would have visited you. I wanted to know you were okay. But I was out for four days.”

Realization dawned in LaRusso’s eyes. “Ali. Right.” He reached up to rub at his forehead. “I forgot that you knew her. Oh god, you’re the friend! I didn’t put that together. Kumiko told me Ali had gone back to the hospital because her friend got hurt. I didn’t even think that it was you. I was so wrapped up in my own shit.” He grabbed hold of Johnny’s arm suddenly; his eyes full of desperation and panic. “What happened? Are you okay?” His gaze flicked over Johnny’s body as if searching for signs of the injury from two years ago.

Johnny laughed, hoping to ease some of that worry. “It’s okay. You just got injured yourself. I don’t blame you for being stuck thinking about yourself afterward.” He didn’t exactly handle the news about his own injury that well. For the first couple of months, he was pretty much a mess. Then he shrugged. “I got charged. The guy knocked me over the back of his teammate, and my head hit the ice. I’m lucky I didn’t snap my neck. Hey, hey!” He grabbed hold of LaRusso’s shoulder when the panic flared in his eyes. “I’m okay. No lasting damage or anything. I just can’t play hockey anymore.”

“Oh, Johnny!” The pain in LaRusso’s voice made Johnny’s chest hurt again. His hand was on Johnny’s arm, stroking it up and down. “I’m so sorry. If I had known, I would have-”

“You didn’t even know my name,” Johnny reminded gently with a laugh.

“Right.” LaRusso lowered his gaze, his hand stilling at Johnny’s elbow. “What a pair we are. Can’t even do the things we love anymore.”

That statement punched the air out of him, and Johnny jerked his gaze to LaRusso’s knee. “Was the damage that bad?”

LaRusso turned away, his hand lingering a moment before pulling away. “Can we not talk about it?”

“You can’t skate anymore?” Johnny pushed because the thought of LaRusso not being able to get out on the ice again was like a knife twisting in his chest. He grabbed LaRusso before he could step away. “Please, LaRusso, just talk to me.”

“Do you know how often I get asked about my knee?” LaRusso’s voice took on a cold edge that made Johnny flinch. “Every fucking day. And mostly it’s because people want to ridicule me. It wasn’t bad enough to have my career taken away from me. No, Mike Barnes had to go around telling everyone in interviews that I was faking it because I couldn’t cut it. He laughs about it. He says I got scared and instead of failing, I pretended to be injured to get sympathy from fans.” His voice rose in volume, anger rushing through him as his body shook. “He and his fucking coach were the assholes that hired some guys to attack me in the locker room right before I needed to go out on the ice. And I could never tell anyone that because they would just twist it around and say I was trying to save face by lying to make them look bad.”

Johnny folded him into his arms, holding him tightly. LaRusso finally broke, sobbing into Johnny’s shoulder as he clung to him, his fingers curling desperately around the fabric of Johnny’s shirt.

“I’m so sorry,” Johnny whispered, close to LaRusso’s ear. What else could he say? LaRusso was hurting so badly, and the whole world seemed to have turned against him. He squeezed his arms comfortingly. “I can’t believe those assholes did this to you.”

LaRusso sniffled. “I was never going to beat him.” His voice was broken and pained. “They knew I would never get the gold, but they still had to make sure I would suffer for losing.”

Johnny’s jaw clenched. He wanted to hunt down these people and bash in their knees to return the pain they gave LaRusso.

“Gross. Get a room,” complained some jackass that walked past them.

“Fuck off!” Johnny shouted at them, flipping them off. Then he turned back to LaRusso with a sigh. “Let’s get out of here.”

LaRusso pulled away, wiping at his eyes. “What about class?”

“Fuck class.” Johnny snorted. “We’re probably not missing anything important. And I doubt you can really focus on class right now anyway.”

LaRusso frowned, perhaps working up an argument. Then he nodded, the fight seeming to leave him all at once. Johnny took his hand and pulled him along as he walked across the quad. His dorm wasn’t too far away, and he knew his dorm mate would be in class right now. They didn’t talk as they walked, and he didn’t care if anyone gave them looks for holding hands. When they got there, Johnny unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. The room was a bit of a mess, and now he kind of wished he cleaned it up a bit. He didn’t usually have people over, and his dorm mate certainly didn’t feel any embarrassment when he had his friends or girlfriend over. After kicking the door shut, Johnny pulled LaRusso over to his bed and dropped down on it. LaRusso plopped down next to him, not bothering to free his hand, but Johnny didn’t either.

“I don’t get it.” Johnny shook his head, finally breaking the silence between them. “Why the fuck would they do something like that to you?”

“Because I did beat him,” LaRusso muttered darkly, like he regretted the fact that he was actually good enough to come out on top against some raging asshole. “I was just starting to enter the competition scene with Mr. Miyagi as my coach. Mike Barnes was one of the guys I was up against. His performance wasn’t very good. He made some mistakes and got marked down. When I won the competition, he claimed I cheated.”

“Dick,” Johnny muttered.

“He made a big scene about it, even shoving me down, but Mr. Miyagi stopped him before he could start wailing on me.” LaRusso sagged a little, and Johnny tugged on his hand until he was leaning against him. “He should have been kicked out of competing for that behavior, but his coach has a lot of money and power. Silver was able to smooth things out and keep Barnes eligible for competing. But after that, they both had it out for me. Barnes still wanted to kick my ass for beating him. Silver, however, had other ideas. He promised Barnes would leave me alone if I agreed to a deal.”

Dread trickled coldly down his spine. “A deal?” Johnny slid his gaze toward LaRusso. “What kind of deal?”

“If I made it to the next Olympics, if I was able to win the gold medal, they would leave me alone.”

The dread settled like a lump in his gut. “And if you lost?”

LaRusso’s hand squeezed tightly around his. He swallowed a few times. “If I lost, I had to stop skating. And Mr. Miyagi had to retire from coaching.”

Johnny froze, his brain struggling to process the words he just heard. “What?” he snapped, his tone too harsh, and LaRusso flinched. He couldn’t stop the anger pumping through him. What the hell was that? “Who the hell makes a deal like that? And you _accepted_?”

“Yes,” LaRusso shouted back, his eyes hard and resolved as he glared into Johnny’s. “Because it wasn’t just about avoiding being beaten. Mr. Miyagi doesn’t think I know, but I do. I know Silver was doing shit to fuck him over, trying to destroy his name, to get him disqualified from coaching, to take his home away. If I didn’t agree, he would have ruined Mr. Miyagi, and I couldn’t let that happen. He’s like a father to me!” His breath was ragged, and his grip grew almost painful around Johnny’s hand, but there was a determination in his eyes. He would lay down his life if it meant protecting someone important to him.

Johnny could admire someone with that level of stubbornness, but it made him sick at the same time. LaRusso gave up his dream of being a figure skater to protect his coach. It was unfair. The whole fucking, stupid situation was unfair.


	6. Chapter 6

Daniel gathered up his books and stuffed them into his bag as class ended. His mind started to wander somewhere around there being only fifteen minutes left, and he couldn’t remember anything the professor said. Slinging his bag over a shoulder, he sighed and followed the other students out of the classroom. Some days, it felt harder to stay focused in class. At least, it was Friday, and he could crash for most of the weekend, stay in his dorm room and avoid people.

A couple steps outside his last class, Daniel spotted a pair of women, the same ones who had decided it was their duty to harass him ever since they first encountered him in one of his classes. He should have expected it. After all the shit Barnes and Silver said about him, there was always someone who would recognize him and rub salt into his wounds. Swallowing thickly, Daniel turned and walked against the tide of students to head the other way. He didn’t need this shit. Not today. Not ever.

Daniel shoved his way out the back exit of the building, and the fresh air hit him. Breathing in deeply, he kept walking and tried to put those women out of his mind. The only good thing about that day was meeting Goldi- Johnny again. A smile slipped onto his face as he kept his head down. Sometimes, it felt like that night two years ago was only a dream. Johnny was simply a figment in his memory. But then he was there in front of him, solid and real.

And he broke down like a blubbering idiot.

Daniel sighed, hanging his head more. They only shared one class, and since that day, they only saw each other two more times. Johnny kept his seat right next to Daniel at the back of the room. They talked some, but the professor would snap a severe glare their way if she noticed. Daniel didn’t know what to think. Classes kept them fairly busy. His professors seemed to think he sat around on his hands all day, so they thought it fair to assign five hours of work each. It was exhausting, and he sometimes struggled to keep awake in class after staying up until the early morning to get all his studying and papers finished. And the school year had only just started. He dreaded to think how much worse all the class work would get.

“Yo, LaRusso!”

Daniel jerked to a stop. He spun around, eyes widening when he spotted Johnny jogging up to him. “Oh, uh, hey, Johnny.”

“You got any more classes?”

Daniel shook his head, flicking his gaze over Johnny. Did he just run all the way over here? “Just finished up my last class for the day. Now, I have the whole weekend free.”

“Great!” Johnny grinned.

Daniel blinked, wondering why his heart seemed to be skipping every other beat. “Great?” He cocked an eyebrow. “What’s great?”

Johnny grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him along, reminding Daniel strongly of the other day when they met up again. “Why is it only the first week and already the professors think they need to drown us in work? And everyone in my dorm thinks it’s party time. I can barely get a moment to think in my own room!” He tossed a grin over his shoulder. “But now that we both have some free time to relax, there’s somewhere I think we should go.”

“A surprise like last time?” Daniel laughed then ducked his head with a light blush. He thought about that night far too often.

Johnny stayed silent as they walked to a parking garage on the campus. They had to take the stairs up to an upper level where Johnny’s car was parked.

“Oh, wow!” Daniel broke free from Johnny’s hold so he could jog forward and run his fingers over the hood of the red Firebird. “This is yours?” He twisted back around, his wide eyes locking with Johnny’s.

Chuckling, Johnny walked over to unlock the door. “Yup! Used my own money to pay for it. So, my stepdad can eat his own shit.”

Daniel tilted his head, his smile quickly falling into a frown. “Stepdad?”

Johnny shrugged. “I never knew my dad. My mom thought marrying this guy would give us a better life because he was rich. But he was an asshole.”

Daniel bit his tongue to keep from prying further. He got the impression that Johnny didn’t really want to spend a lot of time talking about his stepdad. He turned his gaze back to the car, his eyes softening into something sad. “My dad died when I was eight. I had a really hard time dealing with it. I got angry a lot.”

Johnny placed a hand on his shoulder, and Daniel turned his head, losing himself in those deep blue eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”

Daniel tried to smile. “It was a long time ago.”

“That doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

Daniel bobbed his head, for a moment not trusting his voice. A lump had formed in his throat when he thought about his father. “Thanks,” he said softly when he thought he could speak without sounding like he was going to have another embarrassing breakdown.

Johnny squeezed his shoulder then climbed into the driver’s seat. Daniel jogged around to the other side and slipped into the passenger’s seat, shoving his bag down by his feet. He barely registered when Johnny pulled out of the parking space and drove through the garage as he examined the inside of the car. But the low chuckle snapped his attention away, and he flicked his gaze to Johnny.

“I hope you’re not just here for my car.”

His cheeks flushed darkly as Daniel dropped his gaze. “Sorry. It’s just - This car is amazing! Can I look under the hood sometime?”

Johnny barked out a laugh. “I didn’t think you’d be a car guy.”

“Why?” Daniel snapped a glare at him, anger flaring through him. “You think because I’m a figure skater that I can’t care about cars?”

“No!” Johnny shook his head, alarm suddenly in his eyes. “It’s - I guess, I just never pictured you being someone who does a lot of work with his hands.”

“I’ll have you know I’m very good with my hands.” Daniel crossed his arms.

“Okay, okay.” Johnny held up his hands. “I won’t make assumptions.”

Daniel yelped when the car swerved. Johnny laughed as he took hold of the steering wheel again. Glaring, Daniel slapped the back of his hand against Johnny’s shoulder, his heart still pounding. “That wasn’t funny.”

Johnny simply smirked as they left the campus. Daniel glanced out the window. He hadn’t left campus since school started back up, but it felt good to get away. He relaxed into his seat; all the pressures of college life left behind. Maybe even just the pressures of being him. He bit his lip as he thought back to the other day, in Johnny’s dorm room. Just the two of them as Daniel finally told someone about what really happened at the Olympics without the fear of not being believed. Mr. Miyagi and his mother knew the truth, and obviously, his friends believed him. But it was somehow completely different having Johnny believe him. He didn’t know why.

When Johnny parked in some lot, Daniel finally paid attention to their surroundings. He looked up at the big sign for an indoor ice rink. There was a teasing voice in his head that wanted to say something stupid like, “Why does this feel familiar?” But dread and panic hit him like a ton of bricks. He snapped his head around just as Johnny closed the driver’s side door after climbing out. He remained firmly where he sat, even when Johnny came around to open his side door.

“Come on, LaRusso.” Johnny grabbed his arm, not roughly but giving a small encouraging squeeze.

“Johnny,” Daniel shook his head, “I already told you I can’t. The deal-”

“Fuck that shit!” Johnny’s tone was harsh, and Daniel flinched. The anger faded out of his blue eyes, and Johnny sighed. “Maybe that asshole can stop you from competing, but he shouldn’t be allowed to stop you from just skating for yourself.”

Daniel hesitated, glancing past Johnny to the ice rink. He so desperately wanted to skate again. Every day for two years, it felt like he was slowly dying without it. When the deal was made, he was all but certain Silver meant that he wasn’t allowed to skate at all.

Johnny sighed as he crouched down, still holding onto Daniel’s arm. “You can’t tell me that he’s constantly watching you. This guy can’t be _that_ insane. And if you’re anything like me, I know how much you have to be missing the ice. It’s been two years of hell not getting out on the ice. So,” he offered a small, almost tentative, smile, “skate with me?”

Damn it! How could he say no to that? Johnny probably could have asked him to walk through fire at that moment, and Daniel would have agreed. He climbed out of the car, and Johnny’s smile stretched widely across his face. Daniel swore it was like staring into the sun from how bright it was. After slamming the door shut, he followed Johnny to the building and inside. Not too many people were there, which let them rent some skates without having to get in line and wait. Daniel didn’t exactly like having to borrow used skates, mostly because they were old, didn’t fit right, and made him worry they were about to fall apart. But he had to admit it felt amazing to slip his feet into a pair of skates again. Johnny, of course, rented a pair of hockey skates, which actually looked far sturdier and new. After they laced up their skates, Daniel making sure his were nice and tight, they made their way over to the rink.

“Okay. Don’t laugh at me.” Daniel shot Johnny a glare, his eyes narrowing defiantly.

Johnny arched an eyebrow. “Why would I laugh?”

Daniel glared a moment longer then turned back to the ice. Two years really felt like an eternity. He stepped onto the ice, a bit shaky after having not skated for so long. Not many people were on the ice, speeding past him but far enough away that he felt safe doing this. Daniel sank down into crouch and placed his hands flat to the ice, simply enjoying the feel of the hard coldness beneath his hands. He stayed like that for several minutes, ignoring the looks he got from the passing skaters. When he started to get up, he found a hand in front of him. He took Johnny’s hand, allowing him to help him stand back up on his skates.

“No laughter?” Daniel frowned, tensing expectantly for ridicule.

Johnny rolled his eyes. “You know, in hockey, there’s this thing we do when we first come out onto the ice, sometimes, and we place our hand to the ice as we skate around. I’m not going to laugh at you for showing respect to the ice. I get it.”

Daniel smiled, ducking his head. Some of the other figure skaters mocked him the first time they caught him doing that. He made sure not to make that mistake again. It was nice having someone who understood. Flicking his gaze back up, he bit the corner of his lip. “My dad used to do it when he took me skating.”

“Your dad sounds like a good man.”

Daniel dropped his gaze again. “He was.”

Johnny took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Let’s skate.”

Daniel nodded, and they joined with everyone else skating around the rink. Going around in a giant circle wasn’t exactly the most exciting form of skating, but it did give him a chance to get his bearings again. He wobbled a bit in the beginning, wanting to blame it on old skates. It was his first time on the ice ever since his knee healed, though. He glanced over to Johnny, who seemed at ease on the ice like he had never left it.

“So,” Daniel pushed forward and spun around so he skated backwards in front of Johnny, “have you ever considered doing skating other than hockey?” He bit his lip after the words left him, worrying that he might offend him.

Johnny merely stared for a moment then shook his head. “You mean, like, figure skating?”

Daniel huffed. “Are you about to tell me it’s only for sissy boys or something?” He crossed his arms, not even looking as they made the turn at the end of the rink.

“I wasn’t going to say that.” But some kind of look crossed Johnny’s face, his eyes darkening for a brief second. “I’ve seen you do some crazy ass jumps. That takes some serious skill.”

Daniel grinned. “I bet you could do it.” His gaze flicked down, lingering on Johnny’s thighs. “You’ve got good muscle. With some practice, I bet you’d be hitting those jumps better than I ever could.”

“Agree to disagree.” Johnny barked out a laugh. “I could never be half as graceful as you.”

Daniel froze, his eyes growing wide, but his skates kept gliding over the ice. Johnny suddenly shot toward him, and Daniel didn’t understand why until he rammed into the barrier around the rink. He dropped down hard on his butt with a grunt. Johnny slowed down, sliding gently into the barrier before he dropped into a crouch next to him.

“Are you okay?” Johnny asked, frowning deeply in concern.

“Y-yeah.” Daniel blinked a few times before turning his head toward Johnny. “Sorry. I just - People don’t usually call me graceful.”

Johnny’s eyebrows went up. “What? How could anyone say you aren’t graceful? Do they suddenly go blind when you skate?”

Daniel laughed. He couldn’t help it, and the puzzled confusion on Johnny’s face only made him laugh harder. When it finally subsided, Daniel bit his lip, still smiling. Then it gradually fell, and he turned his gaze out over the ice as people skated by them. A weight pressed on his chest, almost crushing him.

“Terry Silver was my first coach.” The words were barely a whisper, but from the shock playing across Johnny’s face, Daniel knew he heard them.

“What do you mean he was your first coach?” Johnny shouted, and more than one skater cast a glance their way.

Daniel winced at the loudness. “I was sixteen and just getting into the idea of wanting to skate in competitions. And Silver was supposed to be the best around. Everyone he coached became superstars in figure skating. My mom spent a lot of money to get him as my coach.” He drew his knees up, hugging them close to his chest. “He was - He was really tough. My feet were always aching after practice. Blistered and bleeding most days. He pushed me. I had to get the jumps right. I fell. A lot. My body was like a giant bruise from hitting the ice so many times. Taking dance classes is pretty common. Ballet is what most coaches tried to teach me. During those lessons, if I couldn’t hold positions properly, he would hit me. And he would make me stretch until it felt like my legs were going to break.”

“And I thought our coach was tough,” Johnny muttered, his eyes widening in horror.

Daniel’s mouth twitched slightly. “Then I finally got to compete. A whole year of training later. I tried to be excited about it, but I felt dread the whole day before my turn finally came. I hurt so bad from practice. My body felt so stiff from bruises. I barely made it through my routine.” He hung his head. “My scores were abysmal. The lowest scores anyone had ever received in that competition. Ever. As you can imagine, Silver was pissed. I went home with a black eye, and I no longer had a coach.”

“Why the hell did you stay with someone like that?”

Daniel couldn’t lift his head to look at Johnny. “My mom spent practically all our money for him to coach us. I _had_ to stick with it. I didn’t want her to have wasted all that money.”

“I knew it!”

Daniel jerked away from the angry shout.

“I knew there had to be more. It seemed weird that they were so mad about you beating that Banks, or whatever, guy.” Johnny slammed a fist into the barrier, the bang startling Daniel. “He just wanted to make you suffer as some sick payback for ruining his reputation of putting out star skaters.”

“So, of course, I had to be cheating, right?” Daniel let out a bitter laugh, moving to lean his head back against the barrier. “How else could have gone from being the worst scoring skater to beating Silver’s precious star skater? Especially after going through as many coaches as I did.”

Johnny huffed, turning to throw his back against the barrier. “The more I hear about these assholes, the more I want to punch their fucking teeth in.” He glared forward, his mouth thinning and his eyes narrowing.

“Might be satisfying, but Silver would probably make your life hell for laying a hand on him.” Daniel’s hands curled into fists then uncurled repeatedly as he pushed down his own anger.

“He’s a sad fuck,” Johnny said, the suddenness of it jolting Daniel from stewing in his rage. His brown eyes slid toward the man sitting next to him. “He was probably jealous that he couldn’t bring out your potential using his fucked up methods. When you skate, it’s like you belong to the ice. It’s where you’re meant to be. Those other skaters I saw at the Olympics all looked stiff, boring, robotic. I was falling asleep watching their routines.”

Heat crept up to his face, and Daniel ducked his head. “Ballet didn’t work very well for me to learn to be graceful. My coach had a different idea to teach me.”

“Oh? And what was it?”

Daniel lifted his head, meeting Johnny’s curious gaze, and a slow smile spread across his face. “I’ll show you!” He grabbed Johnny’s hand as he got up onto his skates again.


	7. Chapter 7

“So, where’s this place you’re taking me?” Johnny cocked an eyebrow as he flicked his gaze toward LaRusso.

“We’re almost there.” LaRusso grinned, practically vibrating in his seat. His bright eyes watched the street as Johnny drove. “Oh! Turn here!” He pointed at a turnoff from the road that went over a set of train tracks.

Johnny followed the directions, but his mouth pulled into a frown. “Is this where you lure unsuspecting victims to be murdered or something?”

LaRusso laughed. “Oh, yes, I’m quite charming like that.” He turned a wide smile on Johnny. “First, I get them to feel all sorry for me with some sob story. Once I have them out here all alone, that’s when I strike.” He jabbed a finger hard into Johnny’s rib. It actually hurt a bit, but Johnny still laughed.

“You know, I almost believe you could do that.”

“We’re here.” LaRusso smiled as Johnny pulled up and parked the car outside a small house. From the outside, it didn’t look like much. What were they doing at a place like this? LaRusso hopped out of the car.

Johnny sighed, seeing no other choice but to follow. He climbed out of the car and trailed after LaRusso to the front door. “So, are you going to explain things now?”

LaRusso pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. “This is where I learned to be graceful on the ice.” He opened the door and stepped inside.

“That’s not a real answer, you know.” Johnny frowned as he entered. The house wasn’t anything like he expected, nothing like any of the houses he saw around the Valley. Everything inside screamed of Asian influence, but when he thought back to LaRusso’s coach, he decided that made sense, if this was his coach’s home. Before he could move farther into the house, he noticed LaRusso slipping out of his shoes. Johnny copied him, leaving his shoes right next to LaRusso’s in the entryway.

“Right. Sorry. I’ll explain.” LaRusso walked farther into the house, glancing into the front room. After checking around the house, he huffed. “I guess Mr. Miyagi’s out. We can go into the backyard.” He walked through the front room and pulled a sliding door open.

“You trained at a place like this?” Johnny followed him out into the green garden, walking along a ramp that extended over the grass. It felt like the complete opposite of training for ice skating.

“A little strange, isn’t it?” LaRusso hopped off the ramp, spinning around to face Johnny with a beaming smile. “But it worked for me. I guess I’m a little strange too.”

“So, you already said it wasn’t ballet.” Johnny sat down on the ramp, letting his legs dangle over the edge. “Was it some other form of dance? This doesn’t exactly seem like the best place to be dancing.”

LaRusso shook his head. “Definitely not dancing.” He shrugged off his coat and tossed it onto the ramp. “Now, you promise not to laugh?” He backed up a few steps, worrying his lower lip between his teeth.

Johnny rolled his eyes. “I can say the words, but if this is some funky ass thing, I will laugh my ass off at you.”

“It’s not-” The flush crept up LaRusso’s neck, darkening his cheeks and extending to the tips of his ears. “It’s not funky!” He breathed out, like he could exhale all of his embarrassment, but the blush didn’t fade. “Just try not to laugh too much.”

Johnny nodded as he leaned back on his hands. What was LaRusso about to show him? His eyebrow twitched upward as LaRusso’s face suddenly turned serious. He adjusted his stance. Then he moved, arms and feet cutting through the air, his breathing controlled in and out with the occasional grunt. There was a strength, a power with each thrust of an open hand. It wasn’t anything like a dance, nothing like the dancing Johnny knew of, but it had its own beauty and grace to it. Why did LaRusso think he would laugh at this? Each movement flowed smoothly into the next, and Johnny found he couldn’t take his eyes away until LaRusso finally came to a stop, bowing to him. When he lifted his head again, LaRusso was back to biting his lower lip, a worried gleam in his big brown eyes.

“I guess,” the corner of Johnny’s mouth curled upward in a half smirk, “that explains why your skating is so much different from all those other skaters. I’ve never seen anything like that. What was it?”

LaRusso dropped his gaze, shifting his weight around. “Oh, um, it’s kata.” He picked at the skin around his thumbnail. “It’s a part of the karate Mr. Miyagi has been teaching me.”

Johnny’s eyes widened. “You know karate?”

LaRusso laughed, a high nervous tinge to it. “Yeah. Weird, huh? Not exactly a standard for figure skaters.” He stopped picking at his nails and hugged his arms around his waist.

“I took karate,” Johnny admitted, and LaRusso snapped his head up. “Back in high school. Just for a little while. A couple lessons here and there. Thought it would be good to know if I ever got into a fight, you know.” He rolled a shoulder. “But hockey took up too much of my time, especially when our coach started riding our asses to get better, so I had to drop it pretty quickly.”

The tension melted out of him as LaRusso smiled. “Really?” He moved back over to the ramp and climbed up to sit next to Johnny. “Maybe we could spar sometime.” He kicked his feet, leaning his head back to stare up at the sky. “Mr. Miyagi actually used to be a fairly well known coach.”

Johnny turned his head, staring at LaRusso. There was a slight crease over his tanned brow, and his mouth was drawn in a thin line. “Used to be?”

LaRusso chewed at the corner of his mouth. Then he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he kept his head bowed. “He used to coach his wife. She was an amazing skater. He still has all her medals and trophies, but he keeps them in boxes in a closet.”

Johnny squinted, setting his jaw to jut out to one side as he mulled over those words. “Why? If she was so amazing, I would think he’d want to have that stuff out for everyone to see.”

LaRusso shook his head. “She got pregnant. He was really excited about having a child. But then,” he sighed, a heavy exhale, “she went into early labor. He rushed her to the hospital. And,” his voice stuttered, and Johnny had a cold feeling sinking into his bones, “the doctors did everything they could, but they couldn’t save her. She died trying to give birth, and their child, their son, didn’t survive.”

“Shit,” Johnny breathed out, the story hitting him hard in the gut.

“Mr. Miyagi stopped coaching then and slowly faded from memory. I happened to meet him by accident.” LaRusso turned to look over at Johnny. “I went to some dinky ice rink just to skate around for fun. I’d just been dropped by yet another coach after only a couple of weeks, so I was pretty much feeling like shit. I just wanted to skate without being told I was doing things all wrong. Mr. Miyagi happened to be working there. Maintenance kind of stuff. Made sure the skates were in decent enough condition and the blades sharp. Cleaned the ice after people skated. Fixed the lights. You know, whatever needed to be done, he did.” He shrugged. “Anyway, he caught me skating, told me I was messing up my balance by pushing off with too much strength when I did a triple axel. He kept giving me little bits of advice until I was nailing it almost every time. It,” a smile spread onto his face, “was so different from all the coaches I trained with prior. I practically begged him, on my hands and knees, to be my coach.”

“And obviously he said yes.” Johnny laughed.

“Actually, he said no. He didn’t want to get back into coaching. It - He was still hurting over his wife and son.” LaRusso’s mouth curved downward as he dropped his gaze. “But I was persistent. No one else could coach me. They all dropped me after only weeks or a few months. But I had this feeling about Mr. Miyagi. I just knew he was the one that would actually be able to coach me. So, I went back to that rink several more times. Each time, I begged him to coach me. Eventually, he caved and finally agreed. I never would have made it to the Olympics without him. I owe every one of my wins to him, and that’s why I couldn’t let Silver ruin him. But I guess in the end, Silver still got to trash both of our names.”

“I really hate this Silver guy,” Johnny muttered darkly.

“Welcome to the club.” Sighing, LaRusso moved to lean back on his hands. “Sorry that got all-” He waved dismissively with one hand. “Just sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Johnny leaned over to bump their shoulders together. “It’s good to get stuff off your chest sometimes.”

LaRusso’s mouth twitched a little, and he quickly flicked his gaze away. “I guess I kind of had a lot on my chest for a while now. I didn’t really want to unload all of that stuff onto my other friends.”

Johnny felt a strange swelling in his chest. LaRusso felt he could confide in him? When they barely even knew each other? “I can understand that. I’ve kind of been avoiding my friends since I’m no longer on the team.”

“You miss it a lot, huh?” LaRusso frowned, his eyes holding deep understanding.

Johnny bobbed his head. “But what can I do? After that injury, no team would ever take me on. Too much of a risk. And there’s always that chance that I could make things worse on myself if I took another hit like that.”

“I guess skating around isn’t exactly the same as getting to play hockey.” Sympathy passed through LaRusso’s eyes, but at least, he wasn’t giving Johnny the usual “I’m sorry” shit that most people said when he told them about his injury.

Johnny’s shoulders hunched. “No, not even close to the same. But,” he looked at LaRusso, and a smile slipped onto his face, “I forgot how much I love just getting out on the ice.” He reached over and poked LaRusso in the ribs. “I think we should make a thing of it. Every weekend, if we aren’t swamped with classwork, we should hit the rink to skate around. Maybe we can book you private time, and you could practice some of your routines.”

“And I could teach you how to do some of the jumps?”

“You just want to watch me fall on my ass.”

LaRusso laughed, loud and joyful. “Well, it would be fair. You saw me fall before.”

Johnny frowned, turning his gaze out over the backyard. He wished he hadn’t. That fall at the Olympics still haunted his thoughts from time to time. Seeing LaRusso hit the ice and then not move, hearing his sobs after the doctor checked on his knee at the center’s medical exam room woke him up some nights, even two years later.

“I meant, just now,” LaRusso added hurriedly, sitting up straighter as his arms flailed in front of him. “At the rink. When I skated into the barrier.”

Johnny’s mouth twisted upward. “You really should learn to be more aware of your surroundings.”

“Ah, Daniel-san.”

They both jumped at the sudden voice. LaRusso spun around, and his mouth stretched wide. He climbed to his feet and jogged up the ramp. When he reached the small Asian man that Johnny guessed was Mr. Miyagi, he stopped and bowed to the man.

“How was work, Mr. Miyagi?”

“Very good, Daniel-san.” Mr. Miyagi glanced behind LaRusso. “You brought a friend?”

“Oh, uh.” LaRusso turned halfway, rubbing at the back of his neck. His cheeks were slightly darker as he glanced Johnny’s way. “This is Johnny. He was at the Olympics too.”

Johnny walked over to join them and held out his hand to Mr. Miyagi. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Mr. Miyagi bowed his head as he shook Johnny’s hand. His grip was surprisingly strong.

“I hope you don’t mind me bringing him here.” LaRusso worried his lip again.

Mr. Miyagi shook his head. “A friend of Daniel-san is always welcomed.”

LaRusso relaxed. “Johnny played hockey.” His gaze darted to Johnny. “Too bad I never got to see you play.”

Johnny shrugged. “I could probably dig up some old videos of my games.” He gave that a thought for a moment then grimaced. “Maybe not that last one though.”

“Yeah,” LaRusso agreed, paling. It seemed LaRusso didn’t want to see that moment when Johnny got injured any more than he wanted to himself.

“Staying for dinner?” Mr. Miyagi asked, turning back into the house.

LaRusso stared at him then shrugged. “If you want? You were the one who drove. So, um, if you need to get back, we don’t have to stay for dinner.”

Johnny rolled his eyes as he placed a hand on LaRusso’s shoulder. Turning him to the door, he gave him a shove into the house. “Like I would pass up a home cooked meal.”

LaRusso shot a smile over his shoulder. “Oh, I get to wow you with my cooking skills.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Johnny snorted, amused.

LaRusso tapped a finger to his chin, like he was giving the question some serious consideration. “I can’t play hockey. I’d probably get crushed like a grape.” He held up a hand and curled it into a fist as he made a squishing noise.

Johnny laughed. “Yeah, you definitely wouldn’t stand a chance against Dutch. He’d murder you.”

“I’m properly terrified now.” LaRusso shuddered, but there was a smile on his face.

Johnny returned the smile as he followed LaRusso into the kitchen. Maybe getting back in touch with his friends wouldn’t be a bad idea.


	8. Chapter 8

Daniel rubbed at his temples, trying his best to focus on finishing this stupid paper for his class, but his brain wanted to give up on it. How long had he been reading over the same page in this book? Lifting his head, he glanced at the time in the bottom corner of his computer screen. Half an hour. He groaned and pressed his fingers to his eyes. He still had the rest of the weekend to finish working on the paper, but he preferred to get it down now.

His phone buzzed, a welcomed distraction.

Daniel snatched up his phone from his desk. When he saw the caller, he smiled and shoved away from his desk as he answered the phone. “Hey, Ali!” He flopped onto his back on his bed, his legs hanging over the edge. “What’s up?”

“Daniel you’ve never told me your middle name LaRusso!”

Daniel blinked owlishly at the ceiling, shocked by her sharp tone. “Did you - Why are you trying to middle name me?” He worried his lower lip. His mother only did that when he was in trouble, but he couldn’t think of any reason he would be in trouble with Ali. He finally stopped being a miserable self-absorbed idiot weeks ago when he started responding to his friends’ messages again. Of course, that change was all thanks to Johnny, who helped him to stop feeling sorry for himself. He was happy to have Johnny on his side, to believe his side of the story, unlike most of the rest of the world who believed all the lies Silver and Barnes said about him. But the biggest help was making him realize he could still skate, even if he could no longer compete.

“Daniel!” Ali huffed, her tone mildly annoyed, like he should already know the reason she wasn’t happy. “When were you going to tell me you’re hanging out with Johnny?”

Daniel tilted his head, squinting at the ceiling and trying to make patterns from the swirls and bumps in the paint. “Is that supposed to be big news?”

“Daniel.” She was definitely frowning this time. “You’ve been avoiding us for nearly the whole two years since, um, you know.”

Daniel winced. His friends still tried not to mention it directly, but he could always hear the pity in their voices. They felt sorry for his injury, but there was that much deeper pity for the fact that he had to retire from competing.

“You really think I can’t put two and two together?” Ali continued, sounding insulted. “You start hanging out with Johnny, and now you seem to be your normal happy self again? What’s going on between you two?”

Daniel snorted. “You mean other than being friends? Which I don’t know why you’re making a big deal out of that. We met at the Olympics, and Johnny already told me he sat with all of you when he came to watch me skate.” He grimaced. Johnny had a front row seat to his big fall. His knee gave a small twinge at the memory of the injury.

“Maybe I wouldn’t make a big deal out of it if you hadn’t kept it secret.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t trying to keep it secret.” Then his brow creased as he sat up. “Wait. How’d you even know then?”

“Johnny sent a video. Oh! Here. Let me show you.”

His frown deepened at Ali’s excitement. When the video reached him, Daniel pulled it up on his phone to watch it. The banner stretching across the video read: Loudmouth on Ice. He snorted but watched the video play out. It was from an earlier trip to the ice rink when it was quiet enough for him to do jumps and spins without worrying about colliding with other people. A flush of heat crept onto his cheeks. He hadn’t realized Johnny was recording him.

“Why would he do that?” Daniel asked, maybe sounding a little too whiny, after the video finished.

“Uh, because you’re an amazing skater?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice, but Ali laughed a moment later.

Daniel shook his head. “I was still feeling a bit stiff that day. Two years of not skating doesn’t make it easy to get back into shape after only a few skates around the rink.”

“Oh, please, Daniel!” Ali scoffed. “You look like you never left the ice. But I’m glad you’re getting back into skating again. You must have been miserable not being able to get out on the ice.”

Daniel smiled sadly. “Yeah, it was pretty awful.” He turned his head when he heard a knock on the door. “Oh, I gotta go. Talk to you later?”

“Yeah, okay.” Ali laughed. “Say hi to Johnny for me next time you see him.”

Daniel chuckled as he got to his feet. “Will do. Bye, Ali!”

“Bye, Daniel!”

Ending the call, Daniel stuffed his phone into his pocket as he walked over to the door. Any greeting died in his throat after he opened the door and blinked at the man standing in front of him with skeleton makeup painted on his face. His mouth curved into a half smirk as he pushed his way into the dorm room.

“Ready to have some fun, LaRusso?” Johnny plopped down on the bed, where Daniel had sat moments ago, as he glanced around the dorm room.

The room wasn’t anything too impressive. His roommate’s side was a disaster zone of laundry thrown everywhere. Daniel somehow managed to avoid the mess crossing over to his side of the room. He wouldn’t call himself a neat freak, but his dirty laundry was at least piled up in one corner of the room instead of on every available surface.

“Fun?” Daniel closed the door then turned to him with his eyebrow arched. “Aren’t we a little old for trick-or-treating?”

Johnny rolled his eyes, digging into his coat pockets for something. “First of all, you’re never too old for fun.” He held up a finger with some round item held in his hand. “And two,” a second finger was added, “I never said we were going trick-or-treating. Sit.” He pointed to the bed next to him.

Daniel eyed him warily as he lowered onto the bed. “Am I going to regret this?”

“This is a Halloween tradition with me and my friends.” Johnny turned to him, their knees bumping into each other. “You should feel honored to be a part of it.”

“If you say so.” Daniel rolled his eyes.

“I do. Close your eyes.”

Daniel sighed dramatically before letting his eyes slip shut. After a moment, he felt something cool being smeared onto his face. He was tempted to open his eyes and see what Johnny was doing. But he wouldn’t actually be able to see without a mirror. Johnny smacked him lightly on the shoulder and told him, “Stop that!” when Daniel started biting at his lower lip.

“Ugh, not fair, Johnny! You know I can’t sit still!”

Johnny laughed, a warm loud chuckle. “You say that, but I’ve seen you hold a pose for skating. I know it’s not impossible.”

Daniel stuck out his tongue before trying his best to sit still. It was difficult, and he kept wanting to bite his lip. Instead, he fidgeted with his hands. He bounced his leg for a while until it felt awkward having it rub against Johnny’s leg. It felt like an eternity before Johnny pulled away, but then another few moments passed before he said anything.

“Okay. All done.”

Daniel blinked his eyes open. Johnny still sat in front him, grin stretching wide across his face, as he held up his phone. The screen was already open to a picture, and Daniel leaned in to stare at it. The picture showed him in similar skeleton makeup to Johnny.

“You can do costume makeup. Who knew?” Daniel grinned as Johnny ducked his head and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

“This is the only kind of makeup I know how to do.” Johnny put the makeup supplies back into his coat pocket. “Ready to go? Or do you want to change first?”

Daniel lifted an eyebrow, but he wasn’t sure how effective that was with the skeleton makeup. “Go where?”

Johnny dropped a hand on his head and ruffled his dark locks. “Where else would we go?”

Daniel rolled his eyes but laughed. Of course! They didn’t always head out to the ice rink whenever they hung out. Sometimes, they caught a movie, or they drove over to Mr. Miyagi’s house. Johnny seemed to enjoy learning the kata Daniel showed him the first time they went over there. But he also really enjoyed when Daniel and Mr. Miyagi cooked for him.

“Yeah, okay. Let me put on something that’s not sleepwear.” Daniel walked over to his closet and pulled out some more appropriate clothing. He changed quickly, keeping his back to Johnny. After being in the figure skating scene for so long, he was used to having to change in front of people. But, for some reason, he felt awkward about it in front of Johnny. He shrugged into his favorite zip up hoodie as he turned back to Johnny. “Now I’m ready.”

“Yeah,” Johnny said, swallowing as he stood stiffly.

Daniel squinted at the back of his head. What was with that reaction. He followed Johnny out of his dorm room and made sure to lock the door. “Oh, yeah, Ali says hi.”

Johnny glanced at him while they walked through the hall. “We talk all the time. Why is she telling you to tell me hi?”

“Because she just called me?” Daniel shrugged. “She seemed to think she had to make a big deal out of us being friends and hanging out.” His mouth pursed slightly as he tilted his head. “I guess I made them all worry quite a bit after my knee. I,” he winced, “wasn’t in the best place, and then it just-” He shrugged. “Hearing about how their skating practices were going just made me feel worse. I know they weren’t trying to rub it in or anything. They were just excited about the progress they were making on new routines. But it killed me every time because I wanted to be out there skating too.”

Johnny bobbed his head as they left the dorm building and started making their way across campus toward the parking garage. “I can understand that. It took me a while to want to talk with my friends again too. They were all still on the team and practicing hard. I wanted to be out there with them. It pissed me off. I hated not playing. I hated those assholes on the other team that caused the injury.” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “It took me a long time to finally let all the anger go.”

Daniel smiled sadly. What a pair they made. Neither could do what they really loved. Then he moved closer so he could bump their shoulders together. “At least, we can still skate.”

Johnny smiled back. “Yeah.” He threw his arm around Daniel’s shoulders, tugging him up against his side. Daniel was thankful for the makeup hiding the blush growing on his cheeks.

They made it to the parking garage and up to the level where Johnny parked his car. Since they started going to the ice rink together, they left their skates in the trunk of Johnny’s car. They climbed in, and Johnny drove out of his parking spot while Daniel fiddled with the radio to find a decent song. After landing on a song they both approved of, Daniel pulled out his phone and opened it up to the camera. When they pulled up to a stoplight, he leaned over the center console.

“Smile for the camera,” Daniel announced, grinning widely as he held out his phone. Johnny turned his head, and Daniel quickly snapped a picture before returning to his seat proper. He brought up the picture and laughed. “I said smile, not scowl.” He smacked Johnny’s arm as the light turned green.

“You can be the grinning skeleton.” Johnny reached over to pinch his side.

Daniel squirmed away with a laugh. “Well, whatever. It’s still a pretty good picture.” He smiled as he sent it to Johnny. Then he tucked his phone away in his pocket again.

Not long after, they reached the now familiar ice rink. They hopped out of the car and grabbed their skates from the trunk before walking into the building. The staff here knew them fairly well at this point, greeting them with smiles and waves. They found a spot to sit down and put their skates on. Daniel was almost finished tying up his skates when he noticed shadows looming over them. He straightened then jolted when he saw four other men wearing skeleton makeup standing in front of them. They each held hockey sticks.

“Glad you guys could make it!” Johnny smiled as he got to his feet and hugged each of them to rounds of, “Hey man,” and, “So good to see you!”

Daniel stood slowly, blinking at the gathering. He felt rather out of place and almost wished he could just sink into the floor and disappear without being noticed. They kind of made him think of the guys who used to beat him up back in Newark.

“Guys, I want you to meet LaRusso.” Johnny pulled away from the group and stood next to him, slapping a hand down on Daniel’s shoulder. “LaRusso, these are my hockey bros. Bobby, Tommy, Jimmy, and Dutch.” He grinned as he pointed to each one as he named them.

“Nice to finally meet you.” Bobby smiled brightly, holding out his hand to shake Daniel’s.

“Yeah, Johnny was in such a funk until you got him back out on the ice,” Tommy added.

“I was not!” Johnny protested, shooting his friend a glare.

“Yeah, yeah.” Jimmy waved him off. “Are we sitting around talking? Or are we going to play?” He held out a hockey stick for Daniel to take.

Daniel blinked at it several times. “Wait. What?”

Johnny gave his shoulder a light shake. “You’ve been making me try some of those fancy jumps. So, I thought it only fair that you try out hockey.” Then he pointed a finger at Dutch as he took the second hockey stick Bobby held. “No body checks.”

“Aw!” Dutch complained, frowning. “You know those are my favorite!”

“One, you’d crush LaRusso.” Johnny glared darkly at him. “And two, I don’t want to risk another head injury. This is just for fun. So, again, no body checks.”

“Fine,” Dutch grumbled. “Then I’ll take the little twerp on my team. That way, I won’t be tempted to slam him into the boards.”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll take Bobby and Tommy.”

“Oh, no!” Dutch tapped his hockey stick into Johnny’s chest. “You and Bobby are deadly together. It would be totally unfair. I get Bobby.”

“They can get pretty competitive,” Bobby said quietly, but Daniel jumped, not realizing he had moved so close to him. “They might butt heads a lot, but they’re still brothers.”

After some bickering, they finally got out on the ice. Dutch ended up getting his way with Bobby on the team with them. Daniel swallowed nervously as he stood, facing off in front of Jimmy. He felt a little ridiculous playing hockey in his normal skates, but he thought hockey skates would feel too weird. He was going to make a fool of himself in front of all of them. If this was payback for laughing when Johnny fell after attempting an axel, he thought it was a bit cruel.

Then Johnny and Dutch smacked the hockey sticks together before they fought over the puck between them. Just like that, the game started. Daniel stood petrified for a moment, watching the others. Then he moved, trying to throw off Jimmy while getting open for a pass. Bobby sent the puck to him, but Jimmy intercepted it. Daniel gave chase, trying his best to get the puck back. He may not have any idea what he was doing, but soon he was laughing along with the others as they played.

By the time they decided to call it a night, Daniel thought his legs would fall off. They got off the ice and swapped their skates for their shoes.

“Not too bad, twerp.” Dutch gave Daniel’s shoulder a playful shove. “I thought you were going to shit your pants at first.” He barked out a laugh that had Daniel’s face burning. “But you actually have some fight in you.”

“I guess you can’t say hockey’s the only thing you suck at now.” Johnny smiled teasingly, which didn’t help with the blush. “We should grab some dinner.”

The others nodded agreement, and Daniel had to admit he was pretty hungry too. They walked toward the exit of the building with their skates slung over their shoulders and Johnny’s friends carrying their hockey sticks. Daniel hoped they got to do that again sometime. He never gave much thought to hockey until meeting Johnny, but he actually found it fun playing around with Johnny and his friends. None of them made him feel like a complete idiot.

“I hope you’re ready for the best burger you’ve ever had, LaRusso,” Tommy said, leading the way out of the building and toward their cars.

“LaRusso!”

Daniel froze at the sound of that voice. His eyes grew wide and panicked. Johnny’s hand found his shoulder, squeezing it as the other man stormed over to their group. Daniel was only vaguely aware of Johnny’s friends positioning themselves around him.

“You really think I wouldn’t recognize you in that ridiculous makeup?”

“What do you want?” Jimmy asked, his voice stronger than what Daniel heard during the entire time they were playing.

“Not talking to you, loser,” Barnes barked as he tried to shove his way through the wall of hockey players. He still had that idiotic buzz cut, and Johnny snorted beside Daniel. Dutch placed a hand on Barnes’ chest and held him back. “I need to talk to that little shit.”

“Why?” Daniel found his voice. He glared darkly at him. “So you can finish what you started and take out my knee again?”

Barnes scoffed. “You can’t prove I had anything to do with that.” He tried to break through again, with little success. “You know you’re not supposed to be skating.” He pointed an accusing finger over Dutch’s shoulder. “That was the deal. You couldn’t get the gold, so you’re done. You don’t get to go around skating anymore.”

“Just because you’re a scared piss baby, doesn’t mean LaRusso has to completely give up skating,” Johnny growled. “He’s not competing anymore. That should be enough to satisfy your ridiculous deal.”

“How did you even know I was skating again?” Daniel narrowed his eyes.

“There are videos of it floating around.”

“Johnny!” Daniel smacked him on the arm.

“What?” Johnny jolted back. “Like I was supposed to know this dick face was going to see it. I just wanted to show Ali that you were still skating.”

Barnes growled. “You’re not going to have these assholes to protect you-”

Bobby moved before anyone could blink. His hockey sticks were shoved into Tommy’s arms. Then he swept Barnes’ legs out from under him, sending him to the ground with a hard grunt as his back hit the pavement. Then he grabbed Barnes’ leg and held his elbow over the knee. “Maybe you’d like to know how it feels to nearly have your knee broken.” Bobby’s steely glare and icy tone sent shivers down Daniel’s spine. “Because if you go anywhere near Daniel again, I won’t hesitate next time.” He gave the leg a hard enough twist to wrench a yelp out of Barnes before he shoved it away from him.

Barnes scrambled to his feet, favoring his left leg. “This - This isn’t over!” he shouted before turning tail and limping away from them.

“You’re lucky Bobby struck first,” Dutch shouted after him. “Because I would have broken your fucking knee without a second thought!”

Daniel blinked wide eyes at them, still stunned by their words and actions. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Jimmy laughed, hugging an arm around his shoulders. “Of course, we did! You’re Johnny’s friend, which makes you our friend. And we don’t let assholes talk shit and threaten our friends.”

Daniel stared at Johnny, who smiled back. His heart may have fluttered at the sight of it.

Tommy stretched his arms over his head, after Bobby reclaimed his pair of hockey sticks. “Let’s go get those burgers. I’m starving!”

And just like that, all the tension disappeared from their group. They talked about different things while they walked to their cars. Johnny kept close to him, and Daniel didn’t mind that at all.


	9. Chapter 9

Johnny leaned his head back against the headboard of his bed. Music screamed into his ears through the wireless earbuds he wore. He couldn’t use his stereo to play his music because stupid Sid would storm in and yell at him to turn off that “shitty ass metal screeching.” He rolled his eyes. Sid wouldn’t know good music if Johnny smashed his face into the stereo. Maybe he should just pawn the damn thing. It was useless to him if he couldn’t even use it in his own damn room. Sid would never notice if Johnny did sell it.

Picking up his phone, Johnny scrolled through his latest search, checking for the millionth time since Halloween for any articles about Mike Barnes or Terry Silver. It was satisfying to watch that asshole run away practically shitting himself after Bobby’s threat to break his knee. Bobby tended to be the gentlest of all of them. He had a good, kind heart. If he was making threats, then the person had royally pissed him off. And hearing that Barnes had hurt his new friend was definitely enough to kick Bobby into his rage mode.

Johnny smiled, thinking about how his friends had easily accepted LaRusso into their group. He knew Bobby would befriend LaRusso, no questions asked. And maybe he suspected more, but if he did, he never spoke about it to Johnny. The others, especially Dutch, could be a challenge when it came to other people joining their group. Even people from their hockey team. But seeing them form a protective wall in front of LaRusso when Barnes came charging up, Johnny knew LaRusso was truly one of them. He was beyond happy by that.

But Johnny also knew Bobby’s threat could spell bad news for them, for LaRusso. If Barnes decided to take it to the police or mention it in an interview, it could reflect badly on all of them. And after all the damage Barnes had already done to LaRusso’s image, Johnny worried about him doing more. So, every day he checked out any news source he could find to see if Barnes breathed a word about Bobby’s threat anywhere. But so far, Barnes remained silent and didn’t show his face anywhere near LaRusso.

After finishing his search without finding anything incriminating, Johnny tossed his phone back onto his bed. He hoped this meant Barnes took the threat to heart and would leave LaRusso alone for good. It was still bullshit that these piss baby assholes were keeping LaRusso from competing like he wanted. A stupid ass deal. LaRusso never should have been forced into it. And they cheated to ensure he would lose the deal.

Johnny curled his hands into fists, squeezing them tightly until his knuckles turned white. He hated Silver and Barnes so much. He honestly didn’t think it was possible to hate anyone more than he hated Sid, but they managed to prove him wrong.

A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts.

Johnny tugged the earbuds from his ears and looked up as the door opened. His mother peeked into his room with her usual kind smile. Despite his sour mood, Johnny returned the smile as he shifted to sit with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. His mother slipped into the bedroom, coming to sit down beside him.

“I tried talking to Sid to let you return to the table,” his mother said as she held a plate in her lap.

There was a big turkey sandwich, and Johnny was certain it had a gravy soaked slice of bread stuffed in the middle of it, exactly how he remembered his mother making it for him back when it was only the two of them celebrating Thanksgiving in a shitty ass apartment. But those were still happy memories for him. There were also large scoops of buttery mashed potatoes and stuffing.

“This,” Johnny said as he took the plate from her, “is a much better way to spend Thanksgiving.” He took a large bite out of the sandwich. The turkey didn’t have the same taste as what they used to get back then, but it was still good.

His mother smiled as she carded her fingers through his hair. “We didn’t get to talk much earlier. How is everything with college? Have you been doing okay? Made any new friends?”

Rolling his eyes, Johnny swallowed. “Everything’s fine, mom. College is college. I go to class. I study. It’s really not all that exciting. And I’ve been fine. No big injuries to worry about. I haven’t been getting headaches or anything. You really don’t need to worry about it so much anymore.” He picked up the spoon and shoveled some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

“You’re still my baby boy.” She landed a stern stare on him. “So, you can dismiss me all you want, but that won’t make me stop worrying about you.” She let her hand come to rest on his shoulder as she watched him eat. “I noticed you didn’t answer my question about making new friends.”

Johnny finished another bite then wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yes, mom, I’ve made a friend since starting college.” The rest of the guys were off at another college so they could play on the same hockey team. After his injury, Johnny thought it would be easier on himself if he wasn’t there with them because he missed playing too much. If he hadn’t made the transfer to another college, he might never have met LaRusso again.

“What’s this mysterious friend like? Tell me about him.”

Johnny leaned over to place his plate on his nightstand. “Mom, he’s just a friend.” He grabbed his phone from where he tossed it earlier. “You don’t need to get all excited about it.”

“Uh huh.” His mother gave him The Look.

Johnny pointedly ignored it as he poked at his phone. There was no way she could possibly think he liked LaRusso without knowing anything about them. “This is him.” He turned his phone to her after he found one of the, many, videos he shot during their trips to the ice rink since the first time they went.

“Oh!” His mother took the phone from him and watched with rapt attention as the video played out.

Johnny stole a few more bites from his meal. “He’s pretty good, huh?”

“Since when did you take up an interest in figure skating?” His mother glanced his way with a knowing smile.

Johnny frowned, not liking it. “Since going to the Olympics.” He shrugged. “I had some time to kill between games, and I caught him skating.” She didn’t need to know he went there specifically to watch LaRusso skate.

She nodded, eyes returning to the phone. “I can see why he went to the Olympics. He’s very good. Did he manage to get a medal?”

Johnny shook his head, a small bubble of anger ballooning in his chest. “He got injured during his last skate. It - I was there when he fell.”

“Oh, dear!” His mother grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it. “That must have been awful.”

“Yeah.” Johnny nodded. The memories still felt so vivid after two years. “But at least, the injury wasn’t so bad that he can’t skate anymore.”

“Ah, I think I get why you like him so much.” That knowing smile was back. “You both love being on the ice so much.” She handed his phone back to him. “So, when am I going to get to meet this boy?”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “Mom-”

“Now, Johnny.” Her eyes narrowed sharply. “Why would you want to keep your mother from meeting your friend? Are you afraid I’ll embarrass you? Because, you know, as your mother, that is in my job description.”

Johnny groaned, feeling like he was fifteen again and trying to convince Ali to date him. He didn’t even know if LaRusso would be interested in him like that, and right now, he was enjoying their friendship.

“Well, obviously not today. He’s probably spending Thanksgiving with his family.” They actually hadn’t discussed their holiday plans with each other. Johnny hadn’t even wanted to bring Thanksgiving up when they last talked to each other. As he expected, it didn’t take more than twenty minutes being back in Sid’s house for them to start shouting at each other. He stormed off to his room to spend the rest of the day there. And his mother, being the kind soul she was, wouldn’t let him starve. Johnny spooned up another mouthful of potatoes.

“Of course.” His mother rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t expect him to give up his family time just to meet me.”

“Well, we were planning to meet up tomorrow to skate.” Johnny picked at his bedspread. “Would you want to come along?”

His mother smiled brightly. “That sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day.” She stood up. “Don’t forget to bring your plate down after you finish.”

Johnny shook his head as his mother left his bedroom. He picked up the plate to finish off his dinner. What was LaRusso doing right now? Did his mother fly out from New Jersey to spend Thanksgiving with him? Or was he spending the holiday with Mr. Miyagi? Or maybe he had both of them to share his Thanksgiving with. Johnny just hoped he was happy, however he was spending the holiday.

When he finished eating, Johnny carried his plate down to the kitchen, doing his best to not be seen by Sid. He got pretty good at sneaking around over the years of growing up in this house. Now he was glad he only had to come back to it for Thanksgiving. He planned on getting his own apartment after the current year ended so he wouldn’t have to return to Sid’s house for the summer.

After he rinsed off the plate and spoon, Johnny set them on the rack to dry. Then he returned to his bedroom. He climbed back onto his bed and dragged his laptop into his lap. He had some assignments to finish up before he got back to college. He still had a few days, but he knew if he didn’t do some work here and there, he would end up rushing to get them all finished the night before and be dead tired the next day in his classes. He worked until he grew too tired, saved his work, and placed his laptop on his desk. He went to the bathroom before returning to his room. After stripping down to his boxers, he shut off the lights then crawled into bed.

It was after lunch when they arrived at the ice rink. Johnny grabbed their skates out of the trunk then walked his mother to the front entrance. LaRusso was already there, sitting on one of the benches inside. When he lifted his head and spotted Johnny, he hopped up from the bench, smiling widely as he took out his earbuds and stuffed them into his coat pocket. He looked about ready to run over and hug him, but his gaze flicked toward Johnny’s mother. His brow knitted lightly before he raised an eyebrow at Johnny.

“Hey, LaRusso,” Johnny greeted, wincing inwardly at the awkwardness in his voice. “This is my mom. Mom, this is Daniel LaRusso.”

“Oh.” LaRusso’s eyebrows shot upward as his mouth formed a little ‘o’ of surprise. Then a smile fell into place, and he stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Lawrence.”

“Oh, please,” she dragged him into a hug tight enough to make LaRusso gasp, “call me Laura.” She pulled back, smiling as she cupped his face in his hands. Then she turned her gaze to Johnny. “You didn’t tell me he was such a handsome boy.”

“Mom!” Johnny rolled his eyes, fighting back his blush. This was why he didn’t want to introduce his mother to LaRusso in the first place. He knew she would just embarrass the hell out of him. Shrugging off the pair of figure skates, he handed them over to LaRusso. “Sorry if she’s horribly embarrassing.”

His mother smacked him on the shoulder before Johnny could move to sit on the bench.

LaRusso laughed, dropping right back onto the bench. “You say that like my ma isn’t horribly embarrassing too.”

“Did you have a lovely Thanksgiving with your mom?” his mother asked, watching as they put on their skates.

“Oh, uh, no.” LaRusso paused in tying up his skates, frowning at the space between his feet. “She couldn’t make it out here. But I spent the day with Mr. Miyagi. He wants to put a pond in the garden.”

“Oh, I’m sorry she couldn’t come.” His mother frowned, and Johnny could tell from the look in her eyes that she would have immediately dragged LaRusso over to their house for Thanksgiving if she had known. Johnny was glad that didn’t happen. He didn’t want to inflict Sid on LaRusso. Ever. LaRusso already had to deal with enough assholes in his life without adding Sid into the mix. “I’m sure she really missed spending Thanksgiving with you. Who’s Mr. Miyagi?”

LaRusso shrugged, but the sadness in his eyes said he missed spending the holiday with his mother. “Oh, Mr. Miyagi is my coach. Er, was.”

“Was?”

“Mom, that’s-” Johnny finished tying his skates.

“I don’t compete anymore.” LaRusso said it easily enough as he stood. It was like he was commenting on the weather rather than something Johnny knew tore him up inside. “So, I don’t really need a coach anymore. But he became like a father to me so we still spend a lot of time together. Well, when I’m not swamped with college stuff.” He laughed, and Johnny’s mother smiled at him.

Johnny got the impression that his mother sensed LaRusso was masking his pain, but she didn’t comment on it. “So, a pond?” he asked, standing up too.

“Oh, yeah!” LaRusso almost bounced, grinning with excitement in his bright brown eyes. “He has this great idea. Even plans to get some koi to put in it. We spent a lot of the day digging out the spot for it.”

His mother laughed. “Maybe I should have sent Johnny over to help out with that.”

LaRusso smiled, his cheeks a touch pinker. “Are you going to stake too, Mrs. - er, Laura?”

She shook her head. “I’m not much of a skater. But I always loved watching Johnny.” She placed a hand on his arm, and Johnny rolled his eyes, glad she didn’t pinch his cheeks like he was five. “I tried to make it to all of his games.”

“He still hasn’t let me see any of his games yet.”

His mother gasped, her eyes lighting up with an idea, and dread settled inside of Johnny. “I know! After you finish up skating, why don’t you come back with us and watch a few?”

“Mom,” Johnny said with a warning in his voice.

She patted his arm then leaned in closer so she wouldn’t be overheard when she whispered. “Sid won’t be around until late tonight. You can take him home long before then.”

Johnny relaxed then turned to LaRusso with an awkward shrug. “If you want to.”

LaRusso smiled like Johnny had just presented him with an early Christmas gift. “I do. Now let’s skate!” He grabbed Johnny’s arm and tugged him toward the rink.

Johnny’s mother laughed as she watched the pair of them go.

It was a pretty quiet day at the rink. A few families came with their little children, helping them learn to skate, and only a couple of teenagers skated around. The center of the rink was perfectly clear though, giving LaRusso the room to practice some spins and jumps. Johnny wished they had the whole rink to themselves. He liked watching LaRusso run through his old routines. Sometimes, he worked on something entirely new, blushing when Johnny asked about it. Even if he couldn’t compete, it didn’t stop him from wanting to create new routines.

Johnny refused to try any of the jumps when other people were around. He already found it too embarrassing falling in front of LaRusso.

As he came out of a sit spin, LaRusso laughed, the same joyous laugh he always had when he was having a good time skating. Johnny rolled his eyes, but he smiled in amusement. Before LaRusso could move to practice another spin or jump, a woman skated up to him. She was about eighteen, nineteen at the oldest, and her curly brown hair was drawn back into a high ponytail. She smiled up shyly at LaRusso, a light blush coloring her cheeks. Johnny bit his tongue as an unpleasant feeling squirmed inside him.

“Um, I was wondering,” she stumbled over her words, lowering her gaze, “if you could teach me to do that thing. Um, that spinning thing you did.”

LaRusso blinked several times. “Oh, uh, sure!” He smiled brightly, and Johnny tried not to be jealous over the fact that it wasn’t directed at him.

“I’m gonna go pick us up some hot chocolate,” Johnny announced, skating close to LaRusso.

“Oh, yes! Thank you!” And there was LaRusso’s light up the world smile with his eyes shining, and it was all for him.

Johnny smiled as he continued skating toward the edge of the rink. His mother lifted an eyebrow at him when he passed her, standing against the boards to watch them. “Just getting some hot chocolate,” he explained before heading over to the concessions area. He had to wait in line while a family took their time deciding on what they wanted to order. When he finally got to the front of the line, he ordered three hot chocolates. Once he had them in hand, he wandered his way back to where his mother stood.

“He’s very good,” she said, accepting the cup he held out to her. “He’s already got her to do that sit spin thing. Well, she can do it a few times before she falls, but she’s improving each time.”

Johnny sipped cautiously at his hot chocolate, careful not to burn his tongue, as he looked out over the ice. LaRusso was still in the center area, instructing the woman on the sit spin. She held on for quite a few spins before her skate wobbled and she fell on her butt. Johnny winced, remembering all of his falls, but he nodded. “Yeah, he has a knack for it.”


	10. Chapter 10

Daniel groaned inwardly, rubbing at his forehead as a headache grew. “Ma, I really don’t think-”

“Now you listen to me, Daniel LaRusso,” his mother interrupted with her stern, no-nonsense voice that always made Daniel snap his mouth shut and stop talking. “You promised you would come to visit for Christmas.”

Daniel sighed, hanging his head. He regretted making that promise now. He loved his mother, and he did want to see her, since she wasn’t able to fly out for Thanksgiving. Though getting to spend the following day with Johnny, and his mother, made him forget all about missing his mother.

He smiled to himself, remembering curling up on the couch in Johnny’s living room while watching videos of his old hockey games. Johnny was good. Like ridiculously good. Daniel couldn’t take his eyes off him whenever Johnny appeared on the screen. He had seen Johnny skate, played with him on Halloween, but it was whole other thing watching Johnny truly in his element. He was like some unstoppable force on the ice. Occasionally, he would toss a glance over to Johnny sitting next to him and catch a hint of pink on his cheeks. Especially when Laura would gush about how amazing her “baby boy” was. It was a great afternoon.

But Daniel wasn’t exactly looking forward to a big LaRusso family Christmas. Mostly because at twenty-five, he had to deal with his aunts and uncles and grandparents asking why he wasn’t married yet.

“Oh, and you know who’s in town for Christmas this year?”

Daniel winced at the happiness in her voice. He could feel the cold twisting of dread squeezing around him. “Uh, who?”

“Judy!” His mother practically squealed in delight, and Daniel was happy they weren’t doing a facetime call so she missed his grimace. “I told her you were coming, and she’s so excited to see you again. She’s coming over for Christmas Eve dinner!”

Daniel rubbed at his forehead again. He bet his mother was already hearing wedding bells in her head at the thought of them together. They dated when he was, like, thirteen, and at the time, he did think she was the most gorgeous girl he ever met. But they broke up so long ago, and he really didn’t see them rekindling any kind of relationship, even if his mother and Judy both wanted that to happen.

“Ma, I’d really rather-”

“Oh! That’s the doorbell. I have to go now.”

“Ma!”

“Get your butt on a plane and get out here, Daniel.”

Daniel winced at her sharp tone and barely managed to exchange goodbyes before she hung up on him. Folding his arms over his knees, he groaned into his arms. He was looking forward even less to this whole family Christmas now that he knew Judy would be there. How long could he avoid her before she finally cornered him?

“I thought you’d be happier about the winter break.”

Daniel lifted his head and frowned up at Johnny. Sighing, he leaned back against the bench. “If I was staying here, maybe.”

An eyebrow arched upward, and Johnny slid onto the bench. “What? Where are you going?”

“At Thanksgiving, I stupidly promised to go back home for Christmas.” Daniel ran a hand over his face. “Why did I do that?”

Johnny squinted at him, mouth pursing. “I would have thought because you love your mom.”

“I do!” Daniel sighed, hunching his shoulders forward. “It’s the rest of the stuff I’d be happier avoiding.” Johnny was still giving him that confused look. Daniel sucked in a deep breath. “Apparently, the rest of my family think I should already be married by now. Or at least be engaged. And of course, my ma invited an old ex to come for dinner.” He groaned then rolled his head to look at Johnny. “What am I supposed to do? I have zero interest in this girl, and I just know my ma is going to be pushing me to get back together with her.”

Johnny laughed, a loud laugh that brought a flush of color to Daniel’s cheeks.

“Hey!” Daniel gave him a shove, frowning.

“Hm, sounds like you’re pretty desperate.” Johnny hummed as he held a hand to his chin, seeming to be in deep thought.

Daniel leaned toward him, balancing on a hand placed between their legs. “Do you have an idea to get me out of this?”

“Well,” Johnny stretched the word out, “I don’t know about getting you out of it, but maybe I can help.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes. “Help how?”

“I’ll go with you,” Johnny said simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Daniel blinked, jerked back, then blinked again. “You - What?” He shook his head. “You want to come to Newark with me?”

Johnny’s shoulders lifted again. “Sure. Why not?”

Daniel frowned, though a little thrill ran through him. He could spend Christmas with Johnny? He bit the inside of his cheek, heat creeping up his neck. “What about your family? Don’t you want to spend Christmas with them?”

Johnny shook his head. “Ever since I turned eighteen, my stepdad decided to go away for Christmas, and my mom goes with him. So, I usually end up alone at Christmas.”

Daniel’s frown deepened. “You shouldn’t be alone for Christmas.” That thought was just too depressing. Even if he stayed here, he would still have Mr. Miyagi to spend Christmas with.

“And that’s why I’m going with you!” Johnny got to his feet then grabbed Daniel’s arm to pull him up too. They stood close to each other, and Johnny still held onto his arm. “Let’s get all the shit we need taken care of.”

Daniel stumbled after him. All he could think was, _Holy shit! This is happening!_

Two days later, Daniel sat next to Johnny on a plane headed to New Jersey. He bit at his thumbnail, his knee bouncing as he stared out the window next to him. All he could see was clouds and blue sky. His stomach felt like it had dropped right out of him on lift off and still hadn’t returned.

“Hey.” Johnny’s hand landed on top of his on the armrest between their seats.

Daniel jumped and jerked his head around. “What?”

Johnny frowned slightly but left his hand where it was. The touch both made his anxiety worse and calmed him. “Why are you so jittery? Are you really that nervous about seeing your family?”

Daniel slouched lower in his seat. He felt ridiculously silly, but he was already freaking out about the thought of his family thinking there was something more between them. What else could they think when he was bringing someone home with him for the first time? Daniel hoped he wasn’t looking a little green. He wouldn’t mind if something more _was_ going on with Johnny, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. Sometimes, it still shocked him that they were friends.

“My family is embarrassing?” Daniel groaned to himself when his voice cracked.

Johnny laughed, his hand squeezing lightly around Daniel’s hand. “You met my family. It’s only fair that I meet yours.”

Daniel opened his mouth, ready to argue the vast difference between meeting Johnny’s mother and meeting the entire LaRusso clan. His mouth snapped shut with an audible click of his teeth. Johnny mentioned having a stepdad before. It sounded like his mother really was his only family, and that thought pained Daniel’s heart.

“Okay,” Daniel mumbled, lowering his gaze to their joined hands.

“Want to listen to some music?”

Johnny dug into his pockets to get out his phone and earbuds. Daniel accepted the one offered to him and pushed it into his ear. They argued over the library of music on Johnny’s phone until they finally settled on a song. Daniel settled back into his seat as the familiar notes of Take It on the Run played. His eyes closed, and a smile stretched across his face as he felt Johnny’s hand resting over his own again.

By the time the pilot announced they were preparing to land, they had listened through a good amount of Johnny’s music library. Daniel begrudgingly agreed to some songs he didn’t particularly like but refused to admit he actually enjoyed a couple. When listening to them with Johnny, at least.

Daniel grabbed hold of Johnny’s hand in a tight grip when the plane suddenly shook as it descended. He expected to be laughed at until he realized Johnny was squeezing his hand just as hard. That made him feel a little better. They suffered another jolt as the wheels touched down. Then they had to wait for several long minutes while the plane taxied to the gate. Johnny was up out of his seat the moment the seatbelt symbol turned off, and he grabbed their things down from the overhead compartment. Getting off the plane felt like it took forever while having to fight against everyone else trying to push and shove their way off. Once they were off the plane, Daniel took the lead, heading for where his mother said to meet her. The anxiety kicked in again, and he chewed on his lower lip. He didn’t feel prepared for his mother’s reaction to Johnny.

“Daniel!” His mother shot her arm into the air, waving it wildly to get his attention as she smiled widely.

Daniel groaned, embarrassment heating his cheeks. He adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder as he made his way toward her. Johnny’s presence felt like a hot brand at his back. His throat and mouth felt far too dry. His mother immediately crushed him in a tight hug and almost didn’t let go.

“Ma!” Daniel gasped out, patting her back. When she finally released him, he took a deep breath. He smiled at his mother then turned halfway. “Uh, ma, this is Johnny.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. LaRusso.” Johnny held out his hand with a warm, charming smile.

His mother nodded, shaking his hand as she looked at Daniel with one of her eyebrows lifted.

“Uh, Johnny and I met at the Olympics,” Daniel explained hurriedly, struggling to keep himself from constantly shifting his weight. “And it turns out we go to the same college. And, um, we skate a lot together.” He bit down hard on his lower lip, his stomach churning uncomfortably.

With her eyebrow still lifted, she turned her gaze onto Johnny. “Skating? Are you a figure skater too?” She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him. “You look more like a jock type.”

“Ma!” Daniel wanted to bury his face in his hands.

“I played hockey,” Johnny explained.

“Played?” Her mouth drew thin. “Past tense?”

“Maybe we should head for the car,” Daniel suggested. “We had a long flight.” He pretended to cover a yawn behind his hand.

“I got injured during my last game,” Johnny answered, following when Daniel started walking toward the exit of the airport. “Hit my head on the ice. The doctor thought it would be too risky for me to continue playing. As much as I love hockey, I don’t enjoy the idea of becoming a vegetable if I suffer a worse injury.”

“Oh, that’s awful!” His mother frowned as she placed a hand on Johnny’s arm. “I’m glad the injury wasn’t worse.”

Johnny laughed. “Me too.”

They made it outside and to his mother’s car. It was still that old Chevelle wagon that didn’t always start. Daniel sent a silent thank you to the universe that it started this time.

“We don’t have a lot of space,” his mother said as they drove back to the house. “Your cousins have been staying with me, so Johnny will have to bunk in your room.”

“That sounds fine to me,” Johnny said, not bothered in the slightest.

Daniel swallowed. Was this a blessing or a nightmare? He wasn’t sure, but he tried to subtly wipe sweaty hands on his pants.

When they got to the house, Daniel led Johnny up to his room so they could stow away their bags. He almost wished their flight had gotten a later flight. There was arguing and banging coming from downstairs where his family was preparing supper for the big Christmas Eve dinner. Soon, he would have to start trying to find a way to hide from Judy. His gaze flicked to Johnny. He was big enough. Maybe if he used him as a shield, Daniel could stay hidden.

“Sorry my room’s a bit small.” Daniel dropped his bag onto the bed. It was also kind of a mess. He really hadn’t kept it clean while living here.

Johnny shook his head. “It’s fine.” He smirked. “You know my room isn’t exactly that neat either.” After he dumped his bag next to Daniel’s, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “I like the lights and decorations. It feels,” he tilted his head to consider for a moment, “homey. My stepdad always gets the house professionally done, and I’ve always thought it felt pretty lifeless. Boring with its perfect precision.”

Daniel smiled, ducking his head. “Yeah, my family likes to go all out with the Christmas decorations.” He shrugged out of his coat and tossed it over their bags. “So, California boy, how are you handling the cold Jersey winter?”

Johnny rolled his eyes, but he almost hesitated in taking off his coat too. “I have been outside of California, you know. The Olympics, remember?” He walked behind Daniel as they left the bedroom. “But I’m glad your house has heating.”

Daniel laughed, jogging down the stairs. As soon as he hit the ground floor, he got dragged into the kitchen by one of his aunts to help out with the cooking. He wanted to complain that they never made his cousin Louie help, but he was pretty sure no one wanted anything cousin Louie cooked. Worrying his lower lip, he kept casting glances around, but he couldn’t see where Johnny got to from the kitchen. He could only imagine the embarrassing stories his family was probably telling him.

Dinner was well on the way to being ready when the doorbell rang out through the house. His uncle shouted from the front room that he would answer it. Daniel leaned back from his spot in the kitchen, trying to glance through the doorway, but he didn’t catch a glimpse of golden hair like he hoped. His aunt Giana appeared suddenly to block his view, and her wide smile and glittering eyes that zeroed in right on him had Daniel quickly looking for an escape route.

“Guess who just showed up!” Aunt Giana said excitedly as she stepped aside to reveal Judy.

A stack of plates were suddenly shoved into Daniel’s arms, and his grandmother said loudly, “Why don’t you and Judy go set the table?”

Daniel wanted to shoot a glare at her, but he also liked having his ears. His whole family was conspiring against him! Huffing out a breath through his nose, he headed for the dining room, offering only a small, tight lipped smile to Judy as he passed her.

“It’s nice to see you again, Daniel,” Judy said, following after him as he started placing the plates down around the table.

“Um, yeah,” Daniel agreed awkwardly, “good to see you too, Judy.” He shot a glance around, wondering where Johnny got to. “Uh, how’s school?” He tried to keep a polite tone in his voice.

“Oh, you know,” Judy shrugged, “it’s going good.” She brushed back her long dark hair, tucking it behind her ear.

She looked lovely. Daniel couldn’t deny that, and he was certain she would make some lucky guy very happy. He just wasn’t interested in her like that. He hadn’t been interested in anyone like her for a long while. His eyes scanned the room again for a certain someone.

“I watched you at the Olympics,” Judy said, and Daniel snapped his attention back to her. “You were really good. Um,” her gaze dipped, drawn to his left knee, “how has it been? It wasn’t damaged too badly in that fall, was it?”

“It’s fine,” Daniel replied, maybe a little harshness slipping into his voice as he stiffly placed the last plate down. “It healed just fine.”

“Oh,” Judy bit her lip, “that’s good.”

They were saved from further awkward conversation when his mother announced dinner was ready. Suddenly, the room felt tiny with so many people crammed in all trying to get to their spot at the table and load up their plates with food. Daniel took his usual seat at the table, and when he looked to his right, he almost groaned, expecting to find his cousin Louie. Instead, Johnny slid into the chair, glancing his way with a half smirk that made Daniel worry. What did his family tell him?

Judy sat down on his right. “I saw they roped you into cooking duty again.” She smiled with hope in her eyes.

“Just like always,” Daniel agreed with a weak laugh. This was not the spot he wanted to be in right now. He almost wished his cousin Louie had taken the other chair just to spare him from more awkward conversation.

“What stuff did you cook?” Johnny asked, and before Daniel could respond, Johnny stole a slice of chicken off his plate.

“Hey!” Daniel protested while Johnny merely smirked. Glaring, he stabbed his fork into a chunk of potato from Johnny’s plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

Johnny grinned, and Daniel dimly wondered if that was the look Johnny gave his opponents on the ice before kicking their asses. Judy was quickly forgotten as they engaged in a little food battle, stealing whatever they could stab their forks into off the other’s plate. They joked and laughed the entire time. At some point, his mother walked by to smack them on the back of their heads with a scolding, and they were forced to stop acting like a pair of five-year-olds and apologize for their behavior. For the rest of the meal, they ate silently, but they kept sneaking glances at each other and attempting not to snicker too loudly. Daniel could feel Judy’s eyes on him, but it seemed the childish display put her off talking to him again.

After dinner, Daniel got dragged away to deal with clean up, grumbling the entire time. His mother gave him another smack on the head for that.

“Honestly, Daniel,” his mother whispered as she handed him another plate to dry. “What was that? Acting like a child! And you ignored poor Judy the whole meal.”

“Ma!” Daniel sighed, but he knew he sounded like a whiny child. “I’m just not - I haven’t thought about Judy like that in years.”

His mother frowned at him. “Is there anyone you _are_ interested in?”

Daniel sighed. He didn’t want to talk about his crush with his mother, especially when said crush could walk in at any moment to overhear him. “Can I go hang out with everyone else now?”

His mother shook her head. “Fine.” She waved a hand to dismiss him before picking up the next plate to wash.

Smiling, Daniel tossed down the towel on the counter then darted out of the kitchen. Some of his younger cousins, nieces, and nephews were huddled around the television watching Christmas specials. The adults were in the sitting room, listening to his grandfather telling one of his old stories, like he did every year. Daniel found Johnny sitting, leaning against the side of the sofa, and plopped down next to him. They smiled at each other before settling down to listen to the story.

Daniel was exhausted by the time they were ready for bed. It felt like they were there for a week already! He collapsed onto the bed, practically face planting into a pillow, wearing loose gray sweatpants and an old Queen shirt. When the bed dipped, he finally turned his head, watching Johnny.

“I could take the floor, if you prefer,” Johnny offered.

Daniel tried not to focus on the fact that Johnny wore only his boxer. It was very distracting! With all those muscles on display, cast in dim light from his bedside lamp. He swallowed, hoping the heat he felt on his cheeks wasn’t showing.

“If anyone should be taking the floor, it’s me. You’re the guest here,” Daniel argued.

Johnny poked him in the side. “I’m not making you sleep on the floor in your own room.”

Daniel pulled his lip between his teeth. He considered for a long moment before lifting his gaze to Johnny. His breath stuck somewhere in his throat when their eyes met. “We could just share the bed.” The words left him like someone else had control of his mouth, his voice sounding strange to him. Lower? Huskier? Heat flared across his face.

Johnny nodded then gave him a shove. Daniel got the hint and hurriedly crawled under the blankets. Then Johnny slipped under them with him. The bed wasn’t very big, and they were pressed against each other, shoulder to shoulder, barely fitting on the bed. Daniel stared at the ceiling, trying to keep his hands still despite the growing urge to start fidgeting.

“You really didn’t have to come here with me,” Daniel finally said when he couldn’t take the silence anymore. “But thanks. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to talk to Judy all night.”

“I like spending time with you.” Johnny turned his head, and though he could feel the eyes on him, Daniel kept his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

“You weren’t driven off by my family?” Daniel laughed, maybe sounding only a touch hysterical. “I know they can be a lot.”

“They were great. I liked listening to all their stories.”

Daniel bit his tongue to hold back a mortifying groan. “How embarrassed do I need to be right now?”

“Daniel.”

His breath hitched in his throat. His eyes widened. Johnny never said his name, and he definitely never said it in that fond kind of tone, thick with affection. He snapped his head around to meet Johnny’s gaze. His heart pounded against his ribcage. What was happening here?

“I like you, Daniel.”

“Like-” But before Daniel could form a complete thought, Johnny turned onto his side, cupping a hand to his cheek. Then he was leaning in and capturing Daniel’s mouth. Eyes growing impossibly wide, Daniel lay there frozen, brain stalling all functions. When Johnny started to pull back, Daniel’s brain finally kicked into action. He turned onto his side, grabbing hold of Johnny’s arm as he chased the retreating lips. Their mouths found each other again, and Daniel melted into the kiss this time. Johnny snaked his arm around his waist, dragging Daniel up against his body. When they broke apart, Daniel’s face was flushed.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” Johnny murmured softly, moving his hand to brush his thumb over Daniel’s lower lip. “And after today, I couldn’t wait another second.”

Daniel didn’t know how it was possible for his face to burn any hotter. It crept down his neck and to the tips of his ears. And from the look in his eyes, Johnny seemed to enjoy the color on his tanned skin. “I didn’t think you liked me like this.”

Johnny rolled his eyes then landed a bland look on him. “You met my mom. You met my best friends, who are basically my brothers. I don’t introduce just anyone to them. Do you think I would have let you meet them if I didn’t really care about you?”

Daniel ducked his head, still blushing while Johnny moved his hand around to the back of his head, carding his fingers through his hair. His insides were twisting, and his heart was still beating at a rabbit’s pace. “I guess I didn’t think about it. My family is so big and always butting into each other’s business and bringing over new friends or people they’re dating. I just thought it was natural for you to introduce me to your friends and mom eventually.”

Johnny huffed a laugh, his breath washing over Daniel’s already warm face. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected you to know the importance of it to me. Though my mom was pretty insistent about meeting you.” He smiled. “And she really likes you.”

Daniel smiled shyly back. “I like her too.”

Johnny kissed him again then rested his forehead against Daniel’s. “Would you want to get an apartment together?”

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed, smiling like an idiot. Maybe it was too fast, when they only just confessed their feelings to each other, but it felt right. He wanted to go to sleep like this, in Johnny’s arms, and wake up next to him in the morning.


	11. 20 Years Later

“Isn’t it supposed to be our time on the ice?”

Johnny kept leaning against the boards, not taking his eyes off the figure on the ice. “Diaz, what have I told you before?”

“When Mr. L is skating, you shut up and watch,” Miguel parroted from the many times before.

“And what are you going to do now?” Johnny bit at the corner of his mouth to keep from smirking when he heard the sigh Miguel heaved.

“I’m going to shut up and watch,” Miguel grumped, dropping his chin onto his folded arms. Behind them, the rest of the teens sat on the bench, pushing and shoving, joking around mostly, in their boredom while they waited for their turn to hit the ice and practice.

Johnny understood the frustration, but when it came to Daniel working on a new routine, Johnny refused to interrupt him. He still looked at Daniel like he was the most beautiful and graceful being to ever set foot on the ice. Every movement flowed seamlessly into the next, and over twenty years, Daniel’s skill had only improved.

There were days when Johnny woke up and almost couldn’t believe how he reached this point in his life. After suffering a head injury at the Olympics, he thought that was the end of his life. If he hadn’t met Daniel again, he didn’t know what he would have done. He had no dreams or ambitions at that point. Then Daniel was in his life again, and Johnny fell in love with him every day they spent together. When he finally confessed his feelings, he was terrified. He had no idea how Daniel would respond, if he shared his feelings or not. The fear of ruining their friendship was almost enough to keep him silent, but not enough in the end. He never regretted risking it all because he gained so much when he confessed and kissed Daniel.

They found an apartment together before the end of the school year, a little one bedroom that wasn’t anything fancy. They worked together to fix up the few things wrong with it, a leaky faucet in the bathroom, a few loose floorboards. Johnny fondly recalled the days of lying in bed, dreaming about their future.

Until one day, almost a year later, Johnny had a brilliant idea: their own ice skating rink. He remembered Daniel’s laugh, amused but uncertain.

“You really think opening an ice rink is a great idea?” Daniel tilted his head back against Johnny’s shoulder to stare up at him.

“The best idea,” Johnny assured him with a firm nod. “Think about it! We both love skating. It’s what we were born to do. We already spend as much time on the ice as we can. If we had our own place, we could skate whenever the hell we want. Just imagine it.” He nuzzled his head against Daniel’s. “Just the two of us, late in the evening, the lights low and music playing through the sound system.”

“You do paint a very nice picture there.” Daniel hummed with a dreamy smile.

“And it’s even more perfect because you can teach figure skating.” Johnny squeezed the arm he had around Daniel’s waist, drawing him even more against his chest. “You’re already good at that. You’ve been giving Carmen pointers for nearly a year now, and she’s improved so much under your guidance. And I can coach hockey.”

Daniel twisted around, propping himself up with one forearm next to Johnny’s head. “You’re right. It does sound like a perfect plan.” He leaned down, kissing Johnny deeply.

Of course, achieving their dream wasn’t as simple as just that. Daniel insisted on studying business, and there were all sorts of legal stuff and licensing stuff before they were eligible for teaching. Johnny happily let Daniel take the lead on all of that. Daniel picked it up so easily that Johnny sometimes felt stupid next to him. That was frustrating, but in the end, Johnny decided it didn’t matter. He was more an action kind of guy, and he was glad Daniel had such a good business sense. If he was doing this all on his own, Johnny doubted he would have stayed open as long as they had.

Carmen eagerly became Daniel’s first student after he was fully licensed to teach skating. Johnny enjoyed watching the pair work together. Carmen was as elegant as Daniel on the ice. She had a different style, but she brought so much life to it. Johnny could see her going far, maybe even making it to the Olympics.

Then Carmen got pregnant.

She arrived at their apartment late one night, crying into Daniel’s shoulder. She was two months pregnant, and after telling her boyfriend, he dumped her. She didn’t know what to do, and she was scared to tell her mother. She was afraid her mother would be mad at her for getting pregnant out of wedlock. By the time they got her to calm down, Carmen was exhausted, and they settled her into their bed to rest.

It took some convincing before Carmen agreed to tell her mother. Johnny found it awkward standing there while the two women hugged and cried. But he was glad Carmen’s mother wouldn’t abandon her. He knew how hard it was for his own mother when she had no one to help raise him. And, of course, he and Daniel would be there to help Carmen. Daniel then had the idea to include Carmen in their dream. Johnny was quick to agree, having grown attached to her. He wanted to do what he could to help her out as much as Daniel did.

They were both present when Carmen gave birth to her son, Miguel. Even if they weren’t his father, they both felt a fatherly bond with Miguel, watching him grow up and helping Carmen with raising him. They were a family. Even if it wasn’t the most normal concept of what a family is supposed to be. But normal or not, they were a family and they loved each other. Johnny had searched for this all his life, and he couldn’t believe he was so lucky to finally find it.

A few years after they opened up was the first and only time Johnny met Terry Silver. He strode into their ice rink like he was about to own the place. Daniel was wound up tight the second he laid eyes on the sleezy man. Ready to launch himself at the man, but a terror lingered in his eyes. This was the man who still gave him nightmares about injuring his knee. Silver went on and on about how he was going to get their ice rink shut down, talking about how Daniel had broken their deal. But Jimmy, bless his fucking heart, stepped in before Johnny could do something stupid, like beat that damn creepy smirk off Silver’s ugly face. Jimmy was smart. His father was a lawyer. He grew up hearing about legal matters and studied law in college. The whole deal between Daniel and Silver was nothing more than a handshake deal. Not legally binding in the court of law. Jimmy was also ready to draw up a lawsuit against Silver for slander of Daniel’s name. They had all the medical records from Daniel’s injury to prove all of Silver’s comments about him faking it for sympathy and attention were false.

After that encounter, Silver didn’t return or bring up Daniel’s name in public.

The following year, news broke out about a lawsuit filed against Silver, detailing the abuses suffered by the skaters he coached. A mother of a seventeen-year-old boy saw the bruises her son received while training and refused to sit quietly. She found other prior students of Silver’s who happily added their testimonies to the case.

Johnny and Daniel followed the whole thing unfold, though Daniel refused to come forward to tell his own story. Johnny didn’t push him. Daniel spent years putting the whole ordeal behind him and didn’t want to relive that trauma again. When it came to an end, Silver’s name was ruined and he was banned from ever coaching anyone ever again. He lost millions in the settlement. Johnny wanted to celebrate this victory, go all out with lots of drinking, call their friends down to join them. But they spent it alone in their apartment, curled up in bed, Daniel setting the pace for how they celebrated this moment of their lives.

The music reached its end, and Johnny smiled as Daniel hit his ending pose, the final note hanging in the air. Johnny straightened, clapping loudly. A sharp whistle blew from the other side of the rink. He chuckled when he saw Dutch, fingers still in his mouth from whistling. Tommy and Jimmy were already getting out onto the ice. Bobby rolled his eyes at all of them.

“All right, boys,” Johnny said, pushing open the gate. “Hit the ice.” After they all scrambled to get out onto the ice, Johnny followed them, skating over to Daniel. He snaked his arms around Daniel’s waist, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “That was beautiful.”

“You always say that.” Daniel laughed, patting Johnny’s arm while a blush colored his cheeks.

“Probably because it’s true,” Bobby said. “We might have only caught the last part, but you looked really amazing out there.”

“Thanks.” Daniel ducked his head, still smiling shyly whenever the guys complimented his skating.

“Are we going to do our usual game for Halloween?” Dutch asked, already looking pumped up to play. His eyes shot past the couple to watch the teens already warming up and practicing. “Think your team will go to playoffs this year.”

“Hey!” Johnny lifted an arm away from Daniel to point a finger in Dutch’s chest. “We made playoffs last year.”

Dutch rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, you better win them this year.”

“Are you doubting Johnny’s coaching?” Daniel demanded, arching an eyebrow. His mouth thinned like it did when he was getting ready to argue, or fight.

“Aw, come on, Daniel.” Tommy bumped a fist lightly against his arm. The ring on his finger stood out. Tommy and Ali would be celebrating twelve happy years of marriage this year. “Dutch is just messing around.”

Ali visited them sometimes. After her last trip to the Olympics, she put away her skates and focused on studying to become a doctor. But she came to the rink to skate with Daniel. Jessica and Kumiko would fly out sometimes, too. Last time Kumiko came, a year and a half ago, she brought someone with her. Some guy named Chozen, who immediately looked at Daniel like some kind of rival. Johnny had worried at first, remembering painfully how things went down with Barnes at the Olympics. But with Chozen, it was almost a friendly rivalry. They tried show the other up, but it never took a violent turn. Much to Johnny’s relief. They respected each other’s skill. Kumiko had explained to him that Chozen trained under an old friend and rival of Mr. Miyagi. It was, he guessed, natural for Daniel and Chozen to develop an almost similar relationship.

Johnny smiled as Daniel relaxed back against him. “But speaking of coaching, I should really start the practice.” He planted another kiss on Daniel’s cheek. “Are you staying to watch?”

“Of course.” Daniel smiled, turning with a sultry look in his dark brown eyes. “You had your fun watching me. Now it’s my turn.”

“Okay. Okay!” Dutch made shooing motions with both hands. “This is hockey time. You can do your flirting later.”

Even Johnny felt the heat flushing across his cheeks, and he reluctantly released his hold on Daniel. “You guys ready to teach these kids some new moves?” Johnny grinned at his friends as they voiced their agreement. He shared one last kiss, on the lips, before Daniel skated off the ice. Then Johnny skated over to draw the teens’ attention and get the practice started. His eyes swept over the faces of his team. He truly felt in his element when he was coaching these teens. Life felt good, and he couldn’t imagine it getting better.

But they were totally winning the playoffs this year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this sitting half finished for so long. I'm glad to have it finally finished!
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading! =)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've actually been sitting on this for a while. XD I started it in parallel to writing The Road Forward, but then the release date on season 3 dropped and I wanted to finish that one up first. Then I got hit with the idea for Blood in the Valley, and that just took over my brain. And I didn't want to start posting this while I wasn't working on it. And it took me forever to think up a title.


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